Dragon Guardian
by Song Of A Free Heart
Summary: MODERN AU Hiccup has spent all his life trying to prove he's a Viking. Jack Frost is just trying to prove he's good enough. But Berk is a town ruled by dragons and fear, and encounters with those rulers will push the two friends to their limits and prove to themselves that they're more than they ever thought they could be. If they can take the risk. NOT HIJACK - just to be clear.
1. Prologue

**It's been years since I posted a fanfic... I've probably lost all my subscribers. But that's all right, I'll start fresh!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon or Rise of the Guardians, of The Guardians of Childhood. **

**For this story I'll be combining the books and the movies, taking the elements of each that I like. So if you don't recognize one of the Vikings, it's probably because they're from the book. **

Prologue

Black.

Dark.

Fear dwells in the dark. It thrives in the shadows.

When the sun descends below the horizon, that is when our greatest fears wax in strength, and they come to haunt us, to terrorize us.

It is why the moon rises, and reflects the sun's light to protect us from those shadows – from the nightmares that threaten to tear our sanity to shreds.

The moon rises and the sandman comes to grant us sweet dreams. And it is those dreams that guard our sanity from the nightmares. They protect us from the darkness, so that we can face the light of day when it returns.

But shadows still exist. And as long a shadow is cast, we will always be afraid.

We know – whether we believe it or not – that there is something to fear.

That night, the moon was at its weakest. The new moon was a shadow in the sky. Not even a sliver of light – only the stars offered some guard against the black threat.

The town of Berk was quiet. Every one slept soundly, every window dark – save for a few that were aided by a nightlight.

But for those who believed, there was always light.

Pitch Black ghosted over the mossy ground outside Berk, amidst the ancient pines and the misty air. He was perfectly at ease among the long shadows, and he avoided the few patches of light that filtered through the branches.

The nocturnal animals that called the forest home ran from his presence. They returned to their burrows and their holes – forgetting their hunger in the wake of their fear for him.

This didn't bother him.

Beside him pranced a mare of black sand, a twisted version of the sand that was used to grant children their sweet dreams. Her eyes glowed yellow, her sandy body emaciated. Just to see her was a nightmare, even before she crept into your head to pull out visions of your deepest, darkest fears.

A whinny split the cold, still air, and another black sand horse appeared through the trees, rearing on its hind legs before it approached its master. Tendrils of black sand snaked behind it with its movement, twisting and swirling.

Pitch smiled, baring sharpened teeth. He reached out to stroke the nightmare's long nose.

The horse neighed, high and sharp.

Pitch's golden eyes widened.

"You've found it?" he asked, in a voice smooth as velvet. Yet it was a voice that called back faded memories of forgotten nightmares.

The horse shook out it's sandy mane, a movement that was a no even to those who couldn't understand the horse's nicker.

Black lips curled in a sadistic grin that spoke no good.

"Show me."

Pitch swung onto the nightmare beside him, and followed the horse that had scouted the mountain for him, galloping over the mossy rocks and packed dirt. Their sandy hooves were all but silent, trails of fear lingering in their wake.

The scout led him to where the ground dropped away to form a cove. In the center the moon was reflected in a silver pond.

But Pitch cared nothing for the scenery. His yellow eyes were  
transfixed on the black, cat-like dragon was fighting the nightmares that surrounded it.

It pounced on one of its attackers, only for it to swirl out into nothing more that black sand. It's powerful tail swept through two more - only for them to be replaced by two more.

The dragon growled, blue fire jetting from its mouth. Some of the nightmares were obliterated... But there were too many.

Pitch smiled. He would not have pursued this hunt without sufficient forces. Not for this prize.

With a hand, he summoned some of the black sand from the nightmares that had been deformed by the dragon. The twisted sand morphed into a net that he dropped over the dragon. Sand ropes hobbled the legs and wings, muzzled the strong jaw of the creature. It tried to fight, but the sand was too strong.

Square pupil green eyes widened. It was unclear if it was a response to the horror of being captured, or the sand working its power.

"The Nightfury," Pitch whispered, crouching down before the creature.

The Nightfury tried to lunge at him. He tried to fight. But the black sand bonds held fast. It growled deep in its throat, glaring at the boogeyman.

"They say you're the offspring of lightning and death," Pitch  
murmured. His smile grew as he rested a hand on top of the dragon's head. "Ideal for my purposes - don't you think?"

The Nightfury tried to lunge again, tried to bite at the offending hand.

Pitch only laughed, the sound sending a ripple of black fear through the air.

Standing up, Pitching looked up at the dark shadow of the moon.

"Don't look at me like that, old friend," he said, a smirk pulling at chapped, black lips. "You must have known you couldn't keep me locked under the beds of skittish brats forever. And now I'm prepared - my nightmares, and now  
even the Nightfury is under my control.

"Prepare your Guardians - if you can."


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm posting the prologue and chapter one on the same day since the prologue is so short. **

Chapter 1: This Is Berk High

Berk High School was the oldest structure in Berk. It was a large, intimidating structure that loomed on the edge of the small city. Tall and intimidating, gray bricks only a few shades darker than the heavy cloud layer that blocked the sky, even though it was only September.

It's brick structure had kept it alive against the frequent attacks that kept all the houses new, though the city was older than memory. But the insides had taken fiery beatings over the years, with four restorations in Hiccup's seventeen years alone. And that was only restorations. Like every other building in Berk, something was almost constantly being repaired.

Above the lobby of the school a large clock tracked the time, the face a stained glass depiction of the scowling Viking that was the school's mascot.

It was almost impossible to go far in the school without being glowered at by some form of the mascot. It was everywhere from posters, paintings, to the backs of all the jocks' letter jackets.

Hiccup Horendous Haddock III sighed as he looked up at the building. He had been feeling sick all morning, the threat of the new school year hanging over him like a dark cloud of doom.

He had never been fond of school, but there was always something particularly hideous about the first day of the new term. It had a unique, particularly rancid smell of despair.

It was the end of summer freedom, the first day back on the nine month countdown.

Classes Hiccup could handle – those he was good at. It was everything else that triggered his heavy sigh.

Two flight of long, low steps led up to the front door of the school, and students made their reluctant way up them.

Between the flights, Hiccup caught sight of his cousin – Snotlout.

Snotlout was a thoroughly unpleasant boy, with dark hair that stuck up all over the place, and a face that looked as though someone had sat on it. He was currently doing an excellent impersonation of a rooster as he strutted around, with enough ego to choke a dragon.

He had cut off the sleeves of his letter jacket so as to show off the beefy muscles of his arms. He was the star of the football team, a boy well suited to insults and battery. His own name was tattooed on his forearm. And if Hiccup were braver (or foolish) he would have asked if it was so Snotlout wouldn't forget how to spell it.

Behind him, Dogsbreath and Ruffnut were perfecting their creepy grins and chortles, just waiting for a command for their leader.

Hiccup had hoped to avoid dealing with his cousin so early in the day, but the meeting now looked unavoidable.

"Hey, Astrid," Snotlout called – actually it was more of a leer.

Astrid looked back at her name, and even from where Hiccup stood he could see her roll her eyes, and her upper lip curled in disgust.

Her long blond hair was pulled back in a thick braid, long fringe bangs falling into her eyes. And while her acid wash skinny jeans and fitted teal skirt showed off her athletic figure, the rips in her jeans reminded everyone that she wasn't to be messed with.

It was almost a pity that Snotlout hadn't gotten the memo. He called out might have been a pickup line, but worked much better as a shot in the foot.

Astrid didn't acknowledge the comment with more than a momentary stare before she turned back to Camicazi. The smaller blond was hopping around in one place, which Hiccup imagined probably made it hard for Astrid to focus on their conversation.

Nothing new.

Snotlout had been hitting on - and being rejected by - Astrid ever since hormones had banished his convictions that girls had cooties.

Hiccup sighed again. All signs pointed that this year would be the same as every other year. Even being one year closer to graduating didn't make much difference in Berk.

It wasn't as though any one left anyway. They just went from school to work, usually at the same jobs where their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers had worked time out of mind.

Nothing ever changed. And Hiccup was one of the few people who didn't like it that way.

Now in a bad mood (which made little sense after all these years) Snotlout looked around for a victim to take his anger out on – and his eyes landed on Hiccup.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, grimacing as he spoke. "Haven't you been, like, expelled, or banished, or something?"

Hiccup resumed climbing the steps, trying to act cool as he did. He pushed messy red-brown hair out of his eyes.

"For what?" he asked. Inwardly he cursed the tremor of un-confidence in his voice. "Straight A's and perfect attendance?"

Snotlout opened his mouth, but it was too soon for his brain to  
produce a comeback.

Dogsbreath laughed, though no one really knew why. Dogsbreath was not what anyone would call particularly bright.

Hiccup noticed Astrid was looking at him from the corner of her eye, an evaluating glance with her green grey eyes...

Then she looked back to Camicazi, who was talking rapidly. Why did Bertha not seem to have a problem with letting her already-hyper daughter have sugar in the morning?

It didn't really matter. Hiccup was still frozen from Astrid's cursory glance. He was unable to take a step forward.

"Yeah, well..."

Hiccup cringed. He had lingered long enough for Snotlout to collect his few, scattered thoughts.

"You're-"

Before Snotlout could finish the insult, the roar of a motorcycle engine cut through the cool morning. Not the rough, guttural roars of the motorcycles favored by most men in Berk. Instead it was a smooth, cat-like purr.

All eyes turned to the motorcycle as it drew closer. It approached rapidly, leaning low as it came around the corner. It streaked past in a blue of white and dark blue.

The rider, probably enjoying all the attention, pulled the motorcycle up onto the back tire as he entered the school parking lot.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. He could imagine the rider's smirk.

_Show off,_ he thought.

He could have used the excessive entrance to make his escape without Snotlout noticing. Instead, he waited.

Partly to be here as a witness incase his friend cracked his skull open.

The rider swerved into a parking space with practiced ease – he had probably been riding the motorcycle all through the summer, since the mountain was closed.

Now that it was no longer in motion, the motorcycle showed itself to be sleek and white. The rider was recognizable by his dark blue hoodie sweatshirt, frost-like white designs on the hems and around the collar.

He dismounted from the bike and pulled off his dark blue helmet to reveal a mischievous smile and perfectly tousled silver-white hair. Hiccup might have imagined it, but he could have sworn all the girls present heaved a dreamy sigh at the sight of Jack Frost.

The young man was as calm and cool as his name suggested.  
Unlike the other students, Jack Frost didn't ascend the stairs.  
Instead, with a running start, he jumped up onto the wide,  
concrete railing of the stairs and ran up it.

As he passed by the lackeys, he smacked Dogsbreath upside the head, ran a few more steps, then jumped off to land a few feet ahead of Hiccup.

Dogsbreath was left rubbing the back of his head, trying to figure out what had happened.

Camicazi giggled - that definitely wasn't imagined.

"Really?" Hiccup asked, voice trembling again. He gestured to Jack's motorcycle, which was doing a remarkable job of looking innocent in the parking lot. "Was that really necessary?"

The two boys fell into step, heading towards the front door of the school.

Jack's grin didn't waver. "You only live once, Hiccup."

"You're gonna fall off that thing and break your skull," Hiccup said, shaking his own head.

"At least I'll have had fun," Jack said with a laugh. When they reached the door of the school he pulled it open and let Hiccup pass inside first.

Inside the air was warm, saturated with the lingering smell of teenagers and old papers. Not a pleasant smell, but one you got used to within a few breaths.

Students milled around the crowded foyer. Friends who hadn't seen each other since the end of the last year were catching up on the summer's event. Or they ran around in search of their first period classrooms. A few headed towards the office, probably for directions, or a copy of their schedules.

"I wonder who hated teenagers enough to create high school," Hiccup muttered, looking around at his peers.

"A very good question," Jack said, adjusting the straps of his backpack.

"Jack!"

She arrived in a flurry of colors: her teal shirt and sapphire blue skirt, purple belt, gold necklace, pink eye shadow on her light skin and the jewel-toned extensions clipped into her dark brown hair. And her smile was enough to cause the florescent lights to turn away in shame.

Jack wavered - and it was Hiccup's turn to smirk.

Having a friend who was so smooth wasn't always easy when he himself was so awkward - but there were moments when even Jack Frost wasn't so collected - usually when Toothiana was around. And Hiccup loved when he was around to witness it.

"Hey, Tooth."

Apparently oblivious to Jack's nervousness, Toothiana's smile  
brightened as she reached up to wrap her arms around Jack's neck in a hug that could have melted a frozen heart.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

Hiccup wondered vaguely how anyone could be so cheerfully so early on the first day of school. But it was Toothiana. He didn't think he had ever seen her have a bad say.

"I'm just showing some of the freshmen around. The first day is always so hectic." She glanced over. "Hey, Hiccup."

Hiccup nodded to return the greeting.

She turned back to Jack, smiling even as her expression was like a mother looking at a child with a history of mischief. (She  
knew Jack, that was for sure.) "Don't skip orientation this year I don't want you to get in trouble on the first day of school again – okay?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "It's an assembly. I went through it freshman year."

"No you didn't," Hiccup said. "You've skipped every year."

"Some friend you are," Jack muttered, with a roll of his ice blue eyes.

"Jack..." Tooth smiled, even around her chastising tone.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack muttered. "I'll be there."

"I'll be looking for you!"

And with that she left. She reminded Hiccup of a humming bird the way she darted around, always dressed in vibrant jewel tones, her kind, cheerful smile seemingly constant.

Hiccup looked over at his friend.

Jack's annoyance over the assembly fading into a smile as he watched Toothiana vanish down the hall to the A wing, a group of nervous freshmen following behind her as she led them to their classrooms.

"So... are you going to orientation?" Hiccup asked. Half of it was a serious question, while the other half of him was looking for a chance to torment his friend. Toothiana was one of the only things he had over his friend.

"I just promised," Jack said, scowl back in place.

"Uh-huh," Hiccup couldn't help his smirk. "Not even dating, and already she's got you whipped."

Jack only shrugged. "Let's get to homeroom."

#

Hiccup still didn't believe Jack would attend the assembly – not until they were actually inside the assembly hall.

With so many bodies pressed together in the space, the air was uncomfortably warm. The walls were a plain white, save for the large mural of – no surprise – the scowling Viking mascot.

It was eerie to look up and see those giant grey eyes glaring down at you. As though he would rip you apart if you set so much as a toe out of line.

Hiccup looked away, sinking deeper into his seat. He knew it was impractical. It was a painting – it couldn't actually do anything to him.

Maybe because it looked so much like his father.

He went back to his notebook, and the doodle of the Common or Garden Dragon that he had been working on.

"I could be snowboarding," Jack muttered. "It snowed on the mountain last night. I got a text saying the powder is perfect."

He sank deeper in his own seat, glowering straight ahead.

"Right. 'Cause your motorcycle isn't dangerous enough." Hiccup shook his head, and returned to adding details to the small, inquisitive face that stared up from the page. It was far more pleasant that the grimacing Viking or his friend's sulking. It wasn't as though he could find anything to say that would make the situation better. He was sulking himself, no point being a hypocrite.

But Jack laughed. Not his usual mischievous – a genuine laugh.

Jack may have had attitude issues, but he was still a child at heart.

"Someday, Hiccup, you're going to get a shot of adrenaline, and you're gonna learn what it means to have fun."

"This is Berk," Hiccup reminded him. "We're known for our pests, not for having fun." He gestured to the penciled dragon on his notebook page.

"Uh-huh."

Jack sat up suddenly, his entire demeanor shifting. Hiccup already knew, but he followed Jack's gaze to where Toothiana was coming through the door, her purple eyes searching over the crowded room.

"Tooth!" Jack waved to her, now grinning as she came over to them.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"You actually came," Tooth smiled, slipping into the seat Jack had saved for her.

"Was there ever a doubt?"

The already dim lights of the room nearly vanished, leaving only the stage illuminated. All attention was drawn to the teachers on the stage – Principal Mogadon standing at the small podium for the start-of-the-year address. Behind him the rest of the faculty sat on a row of chairs.

Good thing. Because Hiccup could barely suppress a laugh at Jack's comment.

The gym teacher, Gobber, was taking up two chairs. His long, bright red beard looked as though someone had plastered a chicken to his jaw. And if the way he was playing with his fake tooth was any indication, he was as board as some of the students.

Principal Mogadon went through the same speech he gave every year, welcoming incoming students, and reminding the entire student body of the basic rules.

"In the event of a dragon attack," Mogadon said, his voice growing even louder than before to get the attention of the students who were already getting bored of the proceedings.

He had Hiccup's attention, though he knew what was coming.

"Those of you who have trained with Gobber, will go with him to fight the monsters. Anyone else – you go wait in the gym."

The assembly ended soon after, Jack escorting Toothiana to their geometry class. Which left Hiccup to head to his first period P.E. – on his own.

All he had endured so far was orientation, and already this year was turning out to be a nightmare.

#

"SILENCE!" Gobber yelled across the gym, his already loud voice echoing off the flat walls and the waxed wood floor. If yelling were a sport, he would be a gold medalist.

The buzz of chatter died down, even Snotlout falling silent as the older Viking glared down all the students.

"Listen up, you useless mollusks," he called again. "For those of you that don't know, Gym class is divided into two groups. My job is to train some of you up as dragon fighters, to protect Berk against the useless reptiles that torment us. That is the job of a Viking!"

All the jocks – most of them assured of which group they would be in – cheered. Snotlout was the loudest of all.

"Shut up!" Gobber ordered, glaring at them. "The rest of you will have regular P.E. with Bertha."

Camicazi's mother, Bertha, stood beside Gobber, arms crossed over her ample chest.

"Snotlout, Dogsbreath, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Astrid, Wartihog, Camicazi, Thugory – you're with me," Gobber said. He didn't do sounds lower than a shout, and his voice was starting to give Hiccup a headache.

His head still jerked up, stunned, wondering if he had missed his own name. But when he went he went over the list again in his mind, he was sure that he hadn't missed it.

The Vikings how had been called all stood up, descending the staggered levels of the benches at one end of the gym, where the first period gym class had been seated. Camicazi danced behind Astrid, bragging that she was going to be the first one to kill a dragon, how she was going to beat all of them.

#

"Come on, Gobber!" Hiccup heard the whine in his own voice – but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

He was in Gobber's office, inside the boy's locker room. Gobber sat behind his desk, stubby legs propped up on his desk – he was playing with his fake tooth again.

"I'm the son of a chief! I should be in Dragon Training."

"And normally, ya would be," Gobber said, with an absent nod. "But as the chief, your father made the choice that you should... hold off a little on that. Ya can barely lift a hammer, Hiccup. How do ya plan on liftin' a sword or a hammer?"

Hiccup looked away from Gobber, ready to leave the office.

His father. He should have known.

**Okay. Sorry this chapter wasn't more action oriented. I wanted to set up the characters and the situation. Don't worry – we'll be seeing more dragons (and Guardians) soon!**

**I hope you enjoyed.**

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh my gosh! Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have followed or reviewed this story, of added it to your favorite! It truly means so much to me that you enjoy my story.**

**For this story, I'm mostly using dragons from the books (save for Toothless, of course!). This mostly affects the Monstrous Nightmare, which is much smaller than in the movie. In the books it's described as the largest of the domestic (pet) dragon.**

**Enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 2**

The Frost family lived on the edge of Berk, right where the town met the lush forest. Technically their property ended at the tree line, but that didn't stop Jack and Emily Frost from regarding forest as their backyard.

Hiccup had taught them tricks for navigating the woods, and what berries were edible, and how to recognize the birdcalls, which created infinite more opportunities for fun.

Today though, Jack was keeping Emma in the official backyard.

It was Friday, a short day at both their schools. Jack had planned on heading up to the mountain to get at least a couple hours of snowboarding in. The weather was threatening rain in the next couple days, and it might be a while before he would get another shot at the snow everyone kept telling him was so perfect.

But his mother was working later than usual, since she had had to stay and cover for one of her coworkers. Since she didn't like leaving Emma home alone for hours, she had asked him to hold off.

"You're waiting for something, huh?"

Jack blinked, looking back over at his sister. He had been staring out over the front fence, without really seeing it. "What?"

Emma was on the swing, her small legs propelling her back and forth. But her eyes never left her brother, no matter what point of the arc she was on.

"You're waiting for something," Emma repeated. Her brown eyes brightened. "Is Hiccup coming over?"

Jack smiled, but shook his head. He would have tousled his sister's hair – but the swing would have made that difficult.

"Nah," he said, once more looking toward the gate. "I'm waiting for Toothiana."

Emma's eyes widened. "You're not going on a date, are you?"

"Hardly," Jack said. He tried to smile, but he knew the expression was a little stiff. A date with Tooth wouldn't have had him this tense. That would have been an enjoyable nervousness.

But this... this was far bigger. It wasn't something he could talk about with his sister, though. Not when he wasn't even sure what was going to happen next.

"Jack!"

The Frost siblings looked over. Toothiana had arrived in one of the few moments Jack hadn't been looking towards the gate. Her smile was brilliant, her wave cheerful.

"Hey, Tooth." Jack felt his own greeting fall a little flat.

Emma was already running up to the gate, jumping up to greet Toothiana with all the enthusiasm that Jack couldn't bring himself to find.

"Hey, Tooth, _look_," Emma said. "I have a loose tooth!"

Toothiana's eyes widened. "Really? Oh, look at your teeth! They're so white, and pretty. Which one is loose? Oh, yeah. That one will be coming out soon!"

"Uh-huh!" Emma nodded. "Do you think the tooth fairy will leave me a quarter?"

Toothiana look up at Jack with a subtle smile before she turned back to Emma. "Oh, I'm sure she will. For now, though, will you let me borrow Jack? I promise I'll bring him back."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Emma," Toothiana said with a smile, standing up to look at Jack. "You ready?"

Jack nodded, but first turned back to Emma.

"Head inside, okay? Mom should be home soon."

"Did you tell her you're leaving?" Emma asked.

"Of course," Jack said, grinning. "I shouldn't be gone too long."

"Okay." Emma hugged his waist, and Jack hugged her back.

With one more wave to Toothiana, Emma went inside, rolling her eyes when Jack reminded her to lock the door.

"Aren't we going into the woods?" he asked, nodding back toward the wall of trees behind his house.

"No." Toothiana adjusted the collar of her purple jacket. "We're headed to the mountain."

"And me without my snowboard."

Toothiana shook her head. "No – we're going _beyond_ the mountain."

#

They took Toothiana's car – she claimed his motorcycle was too dangerous on roads that would no doubt be icy. So Jack sat back while Tooth drove.

He knew when they were getting close because he began to see more and more dragons among the dark green trees. He saw a Common or Garden Dragon, the kind Hiccup had been drawing during the orientation yesterday. The Vikings - exaggerators that they were – had dubbed them the Terrible Terrors. But they really weren't that frightening. No matter how intimidating the creatures tried to look, they never reached more than two feet in height. They were more cute than terrifying.

The one he saw perched on a branch of grass green, with light orange streaks on its back. It watched the car pass with its usual inquisitive expression.

A few trees down, no so cute, he saw a Monstrous Nightmare crouched on one of the tree branches. Its scaled hide was a deep, blood red that was stark against the dark greens and browns that made up the background. Long teeth pulled back in a threatening grin as its square-pupil eyes followed the car.

Though the green grey mist he saw the shadow of a larger dragon stalking through the trees, no doubt hunting for its dinner.

"This... doesn't freak you out?" he asked, looking back at Toothiana.

She didn't seem at all fazed by the dragons that were becoming more frequent the further they drove.

She looked over at him, light violet eyes as bright and sunny as usual.

"The Guardians don't only protect children, Jack," she said, looking back out the windshield. "Part of our job is to protect legends as well."

He heard the words... but for a moment it didn't make sense. As though the words sat in his ear cannel for a moment before it actually managed to penetrate his brain.

When it did, he looked back out at the dragons that stalked through the trees. He saw a flash of fire from the corner of his eye, temporarily cutting through the miasma.

He looked back at Toothiana.

"The dragons don't exactly seem like they need guarding," he said, careful to keep his emotions in check.

He refused to admit that the dragons unnerved him – especially not when Toothiana seemed so relaxed. But his best friend was a Viking, he had grown up with dragons attacking Berk, with dragon killers placed on a pedestal.

Toothiana's smile didn't fade for a moment, and he had a feeling she could see through him with ease.

"We're here."

#

"Jack Frost!" Nicholas St. North's Siberian accent was so thick it took Jack a moment to recognize his own name. And before he could, the large man had wrapped a strong arm around the teenager's scrawny shoulders.

"The man of hour!" North said. His jolly attitude was on par with Toothiana's, though more grounded than the Queen of the Tooth Fairies. "Welcome. Welcome."

When Jack had escaped the one-armed hug, he looked around the spacious cabin that Toothiana had brought him to.

Warm air wrapped around him, as comfortable as the hoodie he never went anywhere without. The air was thick with the smell of baking sugar and all spice, and the smell of fresh cut wood, and pine trees.

It smelled like Christmas.

The "wow" escaped him before he could think to suppress it.

The first floor they had entered onto was little more than a balcony that wrapped around the whole cabin, overlooking the large basement that was clearly the important part of the cabin, the Headquarters of the Guardians.

On the railing on the far side of the cabin was another Garden Dragon. Its hide was a lighter green than the one he had seen coming in, the spines on its back more red than orange.

From the rafters overhead a few more hung like bats, glowing hypnotic eyes observing everything that was going on.

North laughed, the expression coming from deep in his belly. "You not see anything yet!"

His wide eyes had apparently been obvious.

Suppressing a grin, Jack shook his head to clear it of the scent that had clearly gone straight to his brain. Tooth was beside him as North led them down stairs.

About halfway down the stairs, he was hit with the sounds that filled the basement.

Long haired yetis waddled around, some moving boxes, or working on the toys that North would delivery around the world in just a few months.

In the center of the open space was a large globe that spun slowly. The letters were in Russian, but Jack still knew what each continent was. On each continent, tiny golden lights glowed.

A flash of color caught his eyes, and he looked over towards the streak through the air. Initially he thought it was a tiny dragon. But it came to a stop in front of Toothiana. His next thought was that it was a humming bird... it was brilliant jewel tones. But it was larger than a humming bird, and he was fairly sure the face was at least semi-human, excusing the large eyes and the long, black nose. Several more of the small creatures flew up to Toothiana.

_Tooth fairies,_ he realized. He couldn't help but grin as he thought about one of those little fairies slipping into his house to collect Emma's tooth once she lost it. She was so excited about losing it, as she always was. It wasn't her first loose tooth, of course, but it didn't change her reaction.

Imagine if she had known she was talking about her loose tooth to the Queen of the Tooth Fairies.

These thoughts had barely passed through his mind before Tooth Fairies had begun to swarm him, blurs of brilliant colors filling the air around him, coming closer and closer, hovering around him as though they were trying to get a good look at him.

One, even braver than her sisters, zigzagged closer to him. She flew a circle around him, then right up into his face.

Taken surprise as she flew closer, Jack took a step back, but he also had a chance to get a look at the creature. She looked like a cross between a human and a humming bird, small legs bent up to her body, covered in teal and navy feathers (save for the yellow on her neck, and the single yellow feather coming up from her forehead). Her face was like a human child's – wide violet eyes staring at him – save for the long, thin nose like a humming bird's beak. The pink blur behind her was apparently wings.

Emma would probably squeal over how adorable the creature was.

She flew even closer, still examining him.

Jack took another step back, stumbling over the bottom step. "Hey, hey, easy, Baby Tooth."

She made a sound that sounded like a question.

"Now girls."

Jack and the Tooth Fairies turn to Toothiana, who smiled at her fairies, hands on her hips.

"Let's not disgrace the uniform," she continued. "Don't you have teeth to gather?"

The fairies gave what sounded like a nervous laugh – from all his nights babysitting he recognized the laugh of children who had been caught neglecting their responsibilities. Some of them flew off, while others returned to hover by Toothiana.

The brave one – Baby Tooth, as Jack had christened her – stayed close to Jack's shoulder. But now she wasn't in his face, he didn't mind so much.

He returned to taking in his surroundings.

Elves – the tops of their pointed hats barely above his knees – skittered to-and-fro, some carrying plates of cookies, or other random items. Their movements were accompanied with the bright jingle of the bells on their red and green hats.

And dragons.

Jack walked over to Tooth's side, still looking around.

"And to think there are places in the world where they don't believe in dragons, let alone fairies and elves."

"That's why we protect them," Tooth said.

North had been about ten or fifteen yards away, talking to one of the yetis. At one point he raised his voice in a command, but Jack couldn't make out what he was saying.

Now the Russian man looked back. "Why you dawdling?"

Jack and Tooth picked up their pace, following North... Jack actually had no idea where they were going. He still only had a feint idea why he was even her.

"Children had the faith to believe in what's not seen," Tooth said, as they walked. "But look at the Vikings – they're hell bent on destroying the dragons. People are so afraid of what they don't understand. And even if they didn't want to destroy them, they would try to take advantage of them."

"Circus side shows and zoo cages," Jack murmured. He glanced at Baby Tooth, who was zipping a few feet ahead, then back to Jack's shoulder, then a few feet ahead again. Like a child with too much energy.

He found himself frowning at his own thoughts.

Toothiana nodded. One of her fairies brushed against her cheek, obviously a gesture of affection. Her smile grew.

"Most people can't see my fairies." Apparently she had seen where his thoughts had led him. "They can only be seen by someone who believes in them."

"What about the dragons?" Jack asked. He warily eyed a small Gronckle that was curled up on a shelf, the edge of the wood faintly charred.

"Here in Berk, the Vikings have been fighting the dragons as far back as anyone can remember," Toothiana said. "It's kind of hard not believe in them. Dragons tend to live away from humans."

"The dragons tend to have more impact on the world around them," North said, now that the teenagers were once more just a few steps behind him. "They are harder to ignore, no?"

Jack thought about broken windows, charred houses, and months spent taking classes in different buildings while the schools were under repair.

He chuckled. "Much harder."

North laughed. "Here we are."

He pushed open the intricately carved wooden, double doors they had reached.

Jack blinked as they stepped into the room, which was brightly lit by the lavish rays of sunlight that tumbled through the numerous, shaped windows on the far wall.

The room itself was exposed wood, and some of the windows featured small pieces of colored glass.

Jack's brain suddenly remembered that he had entered a cabin in the woods. This room alone was more than twice as large as the cabin, while the room he had just left could have held the cabin itself three times over.

And hadn't he been in a basement?

Stepping forward, he went to look out the windows, trying to get some idea of where he was.

Through the window – a ways below – was the valley he recognized as one beyond the smaller mountain that was beyond the ski mountain.

He could see the silver thread of the river winding its way through the valley, and the green-black trees.

"Wow," he muttered, brows raising. This was a better view than he had ever seen, and he had lived in Berk all his life.

"A great view, yes?" North asked, sounding quite proud.

"Yeah," Jack nodded slowly, still staring.

Above, he could see blue sky, and the golden sunlight warmed him through the glass. Blue sky wasn't very common in Berk, so he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away just yet.

And the sun was setting, streaking the sky with brilliant shades of purple, pink and orange, sending roads of light across the trees. The pine needles were growing steadily darker. The river flickers with gold as it reflected back the light.

"Are we still in Berk?"

"Technically, no," North said. "But that does not matter. Come."

Jack turned back to the room, looking around again. He caught sight of two dragons. Again, they were Common Garden dragons, one sleeping, the others watching what was going on.

Aside from North, Toothiana and himself (and the dragons) the room had two other occupants. A small, round man who hovered a foot or so off the ground, his gold-brown eyes soft. The other was a six foot tall jack rabbit, his fur blue grey, with dark blue tribal designs, save for the white fur on his chest and stomach.

The rabbit's pink nose twitched in what appeared to be disapproval as he looked Jack over. "I thought you were joking."

He spoke with a thick Australian accent.

The Guardians, all in the same room. Jack would never admit it, but a part of him was awed by the presence of the four people he shared the room with.

Jack looked around again.

Toothiana he was used to – he had known her (and had a crush on her) for years. It was hard to comprehend that she was the Queen of the Tooth Fairies, a Guardian.

It was still sinking in that he was in a room with the Guardians.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked, fighting back a grin as he looked at them.

Could throwing pebbles at the sleeping Gronckle really be enough to get him in trouble with the Guardians? And that had been weeks ago.

North laughed. "You do have habit of showing up on naughty list."

Jack's grin grew as he turned back to the windows, and the view beyond.

"This kid ain't a Guardian," the Easter Bunny said, hopping forward.

That was enough to yank Jack away from the view, to stare at the Guardians around him. "What?"

The Guardians turned to look at him.

"What?" Jack repeated, before they could say anything. "You want me to be a Guardian? Seriously?"

"It wasn't my idea," the Easter Bunny muttered.

"Bunny..." North chastised.

The man turned back to Jack. "Was none of our idea," he said. "You were chosen – as all of us were chosen!"

"Chosen?" Jack's eyes narrowed, and he glanced around.

Sandy held up a finger to get Jack's attention, while above his head, golden dream sand swirled into the shape of a crescent moon.

"By Man in Moon," North said. Even when he was serious, there was something about his deep, gravelly voice that was ever cheerful.

Jack looked up at the sky light, where he could see the white crescent moon that hung in the sky overhead, silent but ever present.

He looked back to North, then to Tooth, trying to get back... a sense of reality? He wasn't sure. Though at the moment, he didn't feel as though this was really happening.

"You are Guardian, Jack Frost!" North said, holding up his hands as though this called for a celebration. "Is great honor."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not a Guardian. I'm... I mean, I'm a high school junior, and I'm barely managing that. Just ask Tooth!"

"You would be a great Guardian, Jack," Toothiana said. She rested a hand on his shoulder. "The way you look after Emma, and the Bennett kids, I know you would be."

"Not helping," Jack sighed, shaking his head. "I mean, I'm glad you think so, Tooth. But I don't think so. I don't even have powers, or whatever. How can-"

The door of the room was thrown open, and all eyes turned to the yeti who stood in the door way. The creature grunted at North, and Jack noticed that both dragons were looking up, even the one that had been sleeping a moment before.

Jack and the others looked to North, and he saw the man frown.

"Dragon attack."

**The plot thickens? You tell me!**

**All our cast has been introduced, so now I can jump into the plot!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Again: thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed or added this story to their favorites. I love interacting with you guys, and hearing what you have to say.**

**While I was writing the dragon attack in this story, I realized that I never fully realized just how well made the opening scene from **_**How To Train Your Dragon**_** is. The way it flows seamlessly from introducing Hiccup and Gobber, the dragons, the other teenagers, Stoick, shooting down the Night Fury, and then the relationship between Hiccup and Stoick. **

**It took me a while to go through all that, taking out what I needed, and figure out how to incorporate it into the story. Writing a dragon attack is hard enough as it is...**

**Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the song that I referenced in the first scene. The song was stuck in my head, and I figured it would add an interesting detail to the story.**

**Anyway, come farther up and farther in!**

**Chapter 3**

Hiccup couldn't remember the last time the dining room table had actually been used to eat dinner.

Actually, he ate dinner here frequently, while he did his homework.

What he couldn't remember was the last time there had been anything that resembled a "family dinner" in his house. Even before his mother had died, he didn't really remember family meals. He vaguely remembered his mother serving him breakfast, but Valhallrama had always been as busy as Stoick. They always had somewhere to go, or something to do.

He had been walking himself home from school (even preschool) for as long as he could remember, and arriving to an empty house.

That was where his friendship with Jack had begun, really.

Friendships between Vikings and everyone else weren't forbidden, but they weren't encouraged, either. He didn't even know why people who _weren't_ Vikings lived in Berk.

Jack had defended him from Snotlout on the first day of preschool, and Hiccup had decided it was safest not to leave the side of his new shield. At the time, he hadn't known anyone else to stand up to Snotlout, let alone take his own side.

After a few days Helen Frost had apparently taken pity on him while he had been walking home, and had invited him over. It had become something of a ritual.

Hiccup shook the thoughts away, looking back at the homework spread over the dining room table. He was currently eating his own dinner (venison and potato stew) while he went over the glut of math homework his teaches had decided to pile on him.

It was as though they were afraid of not meeting some quota.

The school year had started on a Wednesday. Friday night, and already he was up to his neck in assignments.

He looked once more at his textbook, trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to do to solve the equation at the top of the page.

Pushing the book aside, he took a few bites of stew, hoping to clear his mind.

Behind him, the radio was playing some song about cologne being poison, and the rain in Spain. He knew it was supposed to be a love song (he'd heard it before), but what either of those things had to do with love he really wasn't sure.

He had just taken a deep breath, starting to relax a little, when he heard the familiar sound of his father's arrival. The steady, low growl of truck (which Hiccup was not allowed to drive, since he had almost hit the chain link fence around the school parking lot when his father had tried to teach him) came to a stop outside the house.

Hiccup hastily reached back and shut off the radio as he heard the truck door squeal open and slam shut. He started gathering his papers, putting them into some semblance of order.

He could hear his father's heavy steps coming up toward the door of the house.

To say it was the same cabin his family had lived in for generations would only be a half lie. The house itself had been rebuilt and repaired more times than the school school. Altogether, it probably wasn't even as old as Hiccup himself. But it was the same spot where his great-great-great-grandfather had built a house.

They were Vikings, after all. Stubbornness issues, and all that. He had no idea what everyone else's excuse was.

He turned back to look through the living room to the front door as it opened and Stoick the Vast.

The leader of Berk was everything his son wasn't: his shoulders were almost twice as wide as Hiccup's, and he was close to twice his height. His bright red beard cascaded over his barrel chest like a waterfall.

Hiccup had expected (hoped) he would somehow get the height and width that would allow him to look like his father, and everyone else in the village. But his fifteen-year growth spurt had come and gone, granting him just enough to take him from 5'4" to 5'8", barely giving his chest and shoulders a cursory glance. Most of what he had gotten was lost in his slouch.

"Hey, Dad," Hiccup called, his voice wavering. Of course. Maybe he should look into some kind of speech therapy. He was really tired of stuttering.

His father grunted, hanging his coat up on the hook by the door.

"Hiccup," he said by way of a greeting, as he came into the dining room. "Dinner ready?"

"On the stove," Hiccup said. "Uh, how was work?"

Another grunt.

"Ah." Hiccup leaned back in his chair, watching as his father served himself a large bowl of the stew, and tore a chunk off the loaf of bread.

Stoick went back into the living room, planting himself in his worn arm chair, sighing as he got off his feet.

"Winter's coming, and the town is nowhere near ready," Stoick sighed.

Hiccup frowned, leaning against the back of his chair, towards the living room. "I thought we were doing all right. I mean, the last haul of fish—"

"It would be enough, if we didn't have the dragons to worry about," Stoick said, shaking his head. "One attack, and we won't have enough. The game and the fish have already started to move on for the winter."

"Dad, about the dragons."

Stoick sighed, and looked over at him. "What is it, Hiccup?"

"Uh..." Hiccup took a deep breath, and swallowed.

His father was tired and stressed, and that meant his patience would be limited. But he was always tired or stressed, especially this time of year. There wasn't any other time that Hiccup could ask, though.

"Gobber is starting Dragon Training again," he said. "And I was hoping-"

"Hiccup..." Stoick sighed again. He raised a hand to his forehead – clear indication that he had a headache. "Hiccup, you are many things. But a dragon killer is not one of them. And you have a habit of... causing trouble, even when you try to help. That's not something I can afford – not right now."

"Dad, if you would just give me a chance-"

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup stopped short, realizing that he had pushed the line too far. His father had spoken his name in an almost roar.

The words Hiccup had wanted to say continued to swirl in his mind, fighting their way to his mouth, truing to be given voice. Hiccup had to bite his tongue to hold them back.

Stoick sighed. He set his food down, and rubbed his temples with his meaty fingers.

The large Viking took a deep breath.

"Hiccup, I—"

"No." Hiccup shook his head, still pressing down the lid of his own temper. "no, forget it. I've got homework to finish."

He threw his papers and books into his messenger bag, pointedly not looking at his father. When he had gathered it all, he slung the strap over his shoulder, and picked up his bowl of soup in his free hand.

"Sorry I bothered you."

He heard his father repeat his name as he headed upstairs. But he ignored it. Right now he couldn't handle an attempt at a conversation. Not when he was still biting his tongue.

In his small room on the second floor of the cabin, he threw his messenger bag on the bed. He sat down, staring into his bowl.

As limited as food might be this winter, he couldn't throw away a bowl of perfectly good stew. That would send his father the edge. But this fight, the latest of many, had caused his appetite to take a hike.

He took a couple bites, but sighed in frustration.

Sometimes he wondered if things would have been different if his mother was still alive. But he doubted it. If he wanted different, he shouldn't have been born to a Viking – especially not a Viking chief.

#

After about an hour, Hiccup's nerves were finally starting to settle.

From downstairs he could hear his father going about his tasks – his heavy footsteps could be heard throughout the house. The same as when he had been a child, and his father's steps had comforted him on nights when he lay awake.

Especially after dragon attacks, when those sounds had assured him that the world was going back to Berk's unique brand of normal.

He had been much younger then, and it seemed like a long, long time ago. Ten, eleven years – not as long as it felt.

Eventually his father's footsteps settled into the background, which was what they usually were, just like the creaking of wood as the night grew cooler and the logs began to settle. Water ran through the pipes, electricity buzzed through the wires.

It was much easier to relax with the familiar sounds. Though the house had been rebuilt many times just in his life, the sounds were almost the same as they had been all his life.

He tried to call Jack, but his phone was either dead, off, or out of range. Whichever it was, no doubt it mean he was on the mountain.

At least one of them would have a good evening. It seemed to be impossible for Jack to have a bad day on the slopes.

Now, with his math homework done, he was taking a moment's break before heading into his social studies work.

In the quiet, it seemed as if it would be sage to take his empty bowl back down to the kitchen, and maybe grab another piece of bread.

He had just stood up when he heard the all-too-familiar alarm. His breath caught in his throat, heart skipping a beat at what he knew his father was dreading.

"Dragon attack," he whispered, looking toward the vaulted ceiling of his room.

Downstairs he could hear his father running as fast as his bulk would allow, and the front door slammed shut behind him.

Hiccup hesitated a moment, the latest fight still fresh in his mind.

But he was still a Viking, even if everyone treated him like he wasn't. And if they wouldn't acknowledge him, he would prove himself. What was he if he didn't at least try to kill a dragon?

And if – _when_ – he did, that would change everything. Then things would be different.

In a moment, he made a decision.

Maybe no one else thought he could kill a dragon. But he had been preparing for months, even for years.

He reached to grab his jacket, slung through the strap of his messenger bag. He had to pause a moment to tug it free, then pulled it on as he ran down the stairs and out the backdoor.

Outside the temperature had dropped considerably. It bit through his skinny jeans, and the front of his shirt. While he ran he zipped up his jacket (not easy), but all his could do for his legs was keep moving.

No doubt it would be warmer downstairs, where he could see the growing glow, a signal of where the fight was happening.

A familiar reptilian screech, a sound eerily like a dry laugh, came from the sky. And he could hear the steady beat of leathery wings.

He looked up and forward, toward the sound. He saw the white belly and distinct bird-like shape of a Nadder. Like all dragon, it had the fire-breath that could kill him in a moment. But its unique threat was the projectile spikes at the end of its tail.

Hiccup slowed a few steps, letting the Nadder fly further ahead. Being swept up as a dragon's dinner wasn't a particularly appealing.

A few blocks ahead he reached the market place – the closest thing Berk had to a downtown.

"What are you doing outside?" He heard his uncle – Baggybum – call out as he ran past. But he knew the man wouldn't stop him – they were running in opposite directions. And his uncle didn't really care – as long as Hiccup didn't get in his way.

The sparkling sound of breaking glass rang down the mains street.

A Gronckle had broken a shop window, and rolled around in what remained of the window display. The flower shop. Even if Hiccup hadn't know what it was, it would have been obvious by the crushed flowers under the Gronckle's belly.

Up ahead, outside the butcher's shop, a green Garden dragon had managed to open an ice chest and tipped it over, spilling the contents onto the sidewalk.

The small creature sat among quickly melting ice cubes and recently caught fish. As Hiccup ran past, he watched the small draon grasp the tail of a cod in its small, toothless jaws. It threw its head back to get the fish to slide down its throat.

Common and Garden dragons were known for being greedy when it came to food and shiny objects.

"Get back inside, Hiccup!"

He ignored that, and kept running toward the smithy, on the edge of town.

Hiccup sprinted toward the blacksmith shop, where he could see Gobber handing a mace to a Viking.

"Does your family realize the dark ages have ended?" Jack had asked, on multiple occasions. "Or are they all living in some kind of insane time-warp that the rest of us can't see?"

Hiccup had only shrugged.

"You're late!" Gobber yelled, as Hiccup pushed open the back door of the black smith. He was hit with the dry air that radiated from the furnace, and the smell of steel. "Sharpen that sword!"

Hiccup picked up the indicated weapon, struggling under its weight as he carried it over to the blacksmith's wheel, pressing the edges of the metal to it to sharpen the edge.

He had barely finished before Gobber grabbed it from his hands, pushing it on a Viking who was just coming to the window.

Through said window, Hiccup watched a Zippleback wrap itself around one of the houses on the other side of the street. One of the two heads spat up swirling green gas onto the wood that was already breaking under its weight, while the other head ignited the gas.

Flames licked around the wood, devouring the house at a rapid pace. The roof soon gave under the flames, and the weight of the dragon. If dragons could laugh, he was fairly sure the Zippleback was doing so.

"Get in there with that water!" someone shouted.

Hiccup looked back just as Astid, Tuffnut and Snotlout ran towards the burning house with buckets of water, and a hose.

Hiccup looked back at the sword. "I don't get to join dragon training, I don't get to help put out fires... oh, no. Instead I'm stuck in here, sharpening swords."

Normally he didn't mind working in the smithy, it was something he was actually good at. But he was still rankled from his fight, and everyone telling him to go back inside.

So far, Gobber was the only person who wasn't sending him back inside. And that, Hiccup knew, was mostly for selfish reasons.

"Oh, stop complaining," Gobber said. "Your job is just as important – if not more so!"

Hiccup felt as though Gobber's cheerful tone was mocking him.

"But I should be out there," Hiccup said. "You know: killing dragons, making my name here in the tribe. I'm the son of Stoick the Vast, and I can't even get a date, for Thor's sake."

Gobber was unscrewing the hammer from the metal cap at the end of his left arm, where his hand had been bitten off years before. He replaced the hammer with a makeshift sword.

"Uh-huh." Gobber rolled his eyes. "When you can lift a sword, or you can throw an ax, then you can go out and kill a dragon. Can you even lift one of these yet?"

He held up a bola: two ropes that were tied together, rocks on the ends to add weight to it.

"Gobber!"

"Right." Gobber looked back at Hiccup. "You, stay here! Sharpen those swords and... stay out of trouble!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes – but didn't say anything in response.

"Right, Gobber repeated. Then, with a loud battle cry he ran from the shop, waving the make shift sword, while in his good hand he waved a battle ax.

Hiccup waited a moment, making sure Gobber wasn't going to be coming back...

... and when he was sure, he pulled the tarp off the project he hadn't been working on when Gobber wasn't looking.

So he couldn't lift (let alone throw) a bola with his bare hands. Instead, he made something that could throw it for him. He had gotten the idea while they had been studying the Civil War in school the year before. He had been inspired by the canons that had been the heavy weaponry of the day.

He wielded the canon, now loaded with the bola, out the back of the shop.

Dragons preferred fresh meat, so the main attack would be focused on the farms, where they kept the livestock. The dragons in town were a distraction. So those were where the Vikings would be focused.

Best to avoid those places.

Instead, he headed for the cliffs on the edge of the villain. It was away from the other Vikings, and thus the attacks. But it offered a perfect vantage point on the dragon's flight path to and from Berk.

Outside the furnace heated smithy, and away from the fires the dragons created, the air was colder, once more biting through his clothes. But now he had excitement, and purpose, to keep his mind off the air around him.

Below the cliff he could hear the waves crashing against the rocks and sand on the shores. The boats tied to the docks swayed with the constant movement of the water.

Here, the smell of fish and salt water was even more concentrated then everywhere else in Berk.

But Hiccup pushed those thoughts, smells and sounds from his mind.

He focused his attention on the horizon, keepings a weathered eye on the dark sky above the ocean water that shimmer silver in the soft glow of the waxing moon.

"Come on," he whispered to the air. "Come on. Just give me something to shoot out."

If he could kill a Nadder, he would be noticed – and right now he could settle for that.

A Gronckle would surely get him a girlfriend, if nothing else!

The two headed Zippelback would get him double the status – the two heads were an added challenge, after all.

If he could kill _anything_ (other than a Common of Garden), he could no longer be Hiccup the Useless.

And if he could hit a Night Fury... well, they would have to start calling him Hiccup the Lucky. Best not to get his hopes up _that_ high.

The Night Fury was the dragon no one had ever seen, let alone kills. No one even talked about them in anything other than hushed, fearful whispered. It was the dragon that everyone on Berk – even his father – was afraid of.

If he could hit a Night Fury, he could probe he was the son his father had always wanted, that he was worthy of being Stoick the Vast's heir. Snotlout would finally have to shut up. Astrid might actually give him the time of day.

Even Jack would be impressed.

No. He shouldn't get his hopes up so high. A Nadder would still improve his life by a couple hundred degrees.

It streaked across the sky, all black. It couldn't even be seen against the night sky. It was only the moving absence of stars that told him anything was there at all.

And it was coming toward him.

Not directly toward him – but into his firing range.

Hiccup focused – he didn't even think about what was in front of him. He just aimed.

And he fired.

His make shift wooden canon kicked, and the bola was hurled through the air. The rope spread out, spinning as they flew.

The ropes hit their target, wrapping around the wings and legs.

A desperate, reptilian cry resounded through the night. The dragon's momentum carried it further as it fell...

fell...

...fell...

It's cry still echoed through the air, tragic and furious.

As Hiccup watched, it went down into the forest to his right, on the far side of the island.

It took a moment for the young Viking to process what had just happened. And even when it hit his brain, he still couldn't believe it had been real. That he hadn't just imagined it. he continued to stare at the trees where it had gone down, hoping for some sign that it hadn't been his imagination.

He took a step back as the reality sank in.

He had hit a Night Fury.

**This chapter took longer than expected! I admit, I was really nervous about writing the dragon attack. While I'm sure there's room for improvement, I'm also happy with how it came out.**

**So, have all of you had a chance to see **_**Rise of the Guardians**_** again now that it's on DVD? I don't want to admit how many times my family has already watched it!**

**Until next time, thank you so much for reading this. I would love to hear your thoughts, and even what you would like to see in the story!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I want to again say thank you so, so much to everyone who is following this story, or have added it to their favorites. It means so much to me that you're enjoying my story.**

**Without further ado, here's chapter four!**

Chapter 4

"Dragon attack."

When North said the words, Jack felt an all too familiar tension in his shoulders. Growing up in Berk, that was the conditioned response to any mention of a dragon attack.

But none of the Guardians gave any sign of visible reaction.

North started to say something the sounded like an acknowledgment.

But the yeti cut him off with a shake of his head, a movement that caused the creature's grey and brown fur to sway. He said something else, tone more urgent. Jack could make that out, if not the actual meaning.

His eyes flicked to North for a translation.

North's busy black brows drew together in a deep frown.

"Different?"

"Different?" Bunnymund hopped forward, momentarily lowering onto all four legs before standing upright a few feet forward. "What do ya mean, 'different'? Different how?"

A question mark of golden sand took shape above Sandy's head.

North turned to glare at Bunnymund, who had spoken over the yeti.

"Is that not what I just ask?" North turned back to the yeti, who was talking again.

Jack looked to Toothiana, hoping for an explanation. She shook her head – and he could see worry mounting in her pretty violet eyes. By his right ear, Baby Tooth's wings had taken up a nervous rhythm, as had the tooth fairies that hovered around Toothiana.

"My friends, it look as though we going into town," North said, he voice deep and serious. "Everyone, to the sleigh!"

#

"I'm not going with you guys," Jack said, for what had to be the tenth time.

The first time, North had laughed it off. Now he wasn't even listening.

It was hard to convey his point when North and Bunnymund were arguing about something. He couldn't make out the disagreement, since their accents grew thicker with each word, and use of foreign slang grew more frequent.

Even if Jack wanted to go with them – which he didn't – he had no intention of riding in the sleigh.

Every December, his mother brought down an advent calendar that featured a painting of a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer (which looked like a shaggy version of a stag) and a tall, suspiciously thin, too-jolly looking Santa Clause.

Emma loved it, but Jack had always found it a little creepy. And it was the first thing that came to mind when he thought of the sleigh.

He had no intention of getting into anything pulled by a prancing reindeer. His pride could not handle prancing reindeer.

His already useless protests were cut off when North threw open a set of heavy double doors.

Cool, almost cold, air embraced him as they stepped outside, biting through his jeans and his sweatshirt. With it came them smell of pine trees. Another smell, like the stables on the edge of Berk – dry hay and animal fur – lingered in the air as well.

Elf hats jingled in an almost frenzy as they scurried across the floor, doing some kind of preparation.

"I am not getting into some-"

Another set of door was pulled open by a pair of yetis, and Jack heard the clatter of strong hooves clattering on the wooden floor. He could feel the vibrations in the floor.

As the first reindeer came into view, his first impression was nostrils exhaling hot breath that misted in the air. Large antlers, shaggy coats of white and brown fur.

One of the reindeers reared up onto its hind legs, split hooves pawing at the air. Another kicked with its hind legs, barely missing the reindeer behind him. Prancing, no. Dangerous, most definitely.

Jack blinked, taking in the fierce, majestic creatures.

"-some, rickety, old..." the words were dying in his throat. "...sleigh..."

Even more so now that the sleigh came into sight.

The sleigh was large, curved on the bottom, nearly twice his height, two sets of long runners nearly as wide as his waist. Wooden panels showed some age, with angled red designs, the rest of the wood covered in a light stain.

Elves ran around checking the shoes of the reindeer, pounding in the occasional loose nails. A Yeti checked over the sleigh, tightening a screw, checking the security of a floor board.

"What was that?" Toothiana asked, coming up behind him.

The question took him by surprise, and jolted him out of his admiration of the sleigh, and the reindeer. He looked back at her mischievous grin.

"One ride," he said, holding up a finger for emphasis, reminding himself to play it cool. "That's it."

Toothiana's silver bell laugh almost made him stumble as he stepped toward the sleigh.

It didn't help that North and Bunnymund had stopped their heavily accented argument to chuckle as well.

"Everyone loves the sleigh," North said.

Jack didn't acknowledge that – he refused. He stepped up onto one of the side wings and vaulted into sleigh. He turned back and offered Toothiana a hand to help her up, which she accepted.

"It's nothing like the advent calendar we have it home," he admitted, looking around the sleigh now that he was inside.

All the wood was smooth and polished. At the front was a smaller version of the globe that had been in the work shop, small lights burning cheerfully over the continents.

Sandy smiled and nodded as he settled onto one of the benches at the back of the sleigh.

North climbed in. At some point he had pulled on a full length dark red jacket, lined with dark brown fur. He picked up the thick leather reins.

"Get in, Bunny," North said, nodding toward the seats.

"Nah..." Bunny kicked the sleigh nervously with one of his lower feet. Then he turned away. "I think I'll take my tunnels."

He turned away, but North dragged him by the back of the leather strap slung over one of his shoulders.

North muttered something that sounded like an accusation of cowardice, and hoisted Bunnymund into the sleigh.

"Are we ready?"

"No," Bunnymund deadpanned.

The yeti checking the shape of the sleigh shook his head frantically, grunting out what sounded like a decided negative.

North only laughed. At the sound, elves and yetis scrambled out of the way. The reindeer pawed at the ground in anticipation.

Jack couldn't resist. He had to ask.

"If I became a Guardian, could I get a ride to school in this thing?"

"We talk about it after you take oath," the older man said with a laugh.

Nicholas St. North cracked the leather reigns. "Hyah!"

The reindeer bucked, Jack's heart sped up in anticipation, and the creatures began to run. Their hooves pounded like rolls of thunder as they galloped down the long, curving tunnel that extended from the stable.

Jack made sure he was completely seated as the sleigh picked up speed down the tunnel.

Roller coaster, was the phrase that came to mind as the tunnel began to twist and turn. The sleigh picked up speed until it was going so fast it lifted off the ground a few inches, or slid up the curved wall.

Beside him, Sandy had his arms in the air, clearly enjoying himself.

Bunnymund was moaning, mouth clamped shut – clearly _not_ enjoying himself.

North and Toothiana were laughing.

The ride itself was exhilarating enough Jack didn't mind that he hadn't made it to the mountain today.

And just when he thought the best was over, as they came to the end of the tunnel, they clattered over a rickety wooden ledge... and dropped for a terrible moment before the reindeer began to rise. First the ones in front, then in back.

The first ones descended a few feet, then the back... it was like a wave, and the sleigh was dragged alone with it. But in a matter of moments they found their pacing, and the ride leveled out.

In moment it had gone from heart pounding... to smooth. And they were in the sunset streaked sky.

Jack stood up to look over the side of the sleigh, down, down, down to the black forest, the silver river, the purple mountains.

Only a few rays of sunlight remained, the last stand before night descended. The waxing moon hung in the sky, bright and beautiful. But in these last moments before the sun vanished, it seemed nothing next to what was being lost.

He learned further over the side to look at the winding of the Hooligan River through the forest.

The sleigh banked to the right as they passed around the mountain. The slopes were illuminated by the lights, and the glow sticks skiers strapped to their jackets, small dots of pink, green, yellow and white.

At the base of the mountain he could see the fire-pits near the entrance to the lodge, which offered light and warmth. The windows glowed warm and gold. From here, they were little more than pinpricks of light from this height.

Jack leaned further, trying to get a closer look. This may be the only time he every got a bird's eye view of this, and he wanted to remember it. He wanted to remember it next time he was snowboarding down the mountain.

But a hand grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt and pulled him back with a force that almost strangled him.

"Don't do that!" Bunnymund said, with a fierce glare. "Do ya _want_ t' fall over the edge?"

"Oh, please," Jack muttered, but he took a seat. Mostly to nurse his now aching throat.

"Can they see us?" he asked Toothiana.

She shook her head. "Only those who believe in us. And that's mostly children."

"Don't get comfortable," North said. "We're almost... What is that?"

Everyone followed North's gaze straight ahead, above the farms on the edge of Berk. It was the dragons' usual goal, going for the fresh meat in the forms of sheep and other animals.

There were the usual dragons: Zippelbacks and Nadders, Gronckles. An Exterminator sharpened its sword-like claws on the fences, playing with a lamb that it held in place under one of the dragon's hind legs.

But most of the dragons were still in the air.

"Different" now made sense. Normally they swept up the livestock in their claws and flew off with it to their nest.

Instead, most of them were still in the air. Not only that, but they were fighting off...

"Are those horses?" Jack asked, stepping closer to the front of their sleigh to try and get a better look.

Emaciated, black, horse-like creatures galloped through the air, steams of black issuing behind them from their manes. They ran circles around the dragons, cut them off as they tried to fly away, keeping them in the air above the farms.

The way the reindeer bucked and kicked, and jerked their heads against the reins, Jack could see they were agitated. It was almost as though they were trying to get away from something.

And whatever it was that tormented them, Jack could feel it to. Feel it like drops of water sliding down the back of his neck and spine. Feel it like a buzzing in his mind. The closer they got to the creatures, the more it felt as though whatever it was was reaching into his mind.

It picked and pulled, sorted through thoughts and memories. It searched, searched, searched... for what, he didn't know. Only that it wanted something, and wouldn't stop until it found it. Thoughts were pulled to the front of his mind so fast he couldn't register what they were before they were replaced... He knew only that they hurt like splinters. Words from his memory drifted through his mind, sharp as shards of glass. They cut deep.

And he wasn't even sure what they were.

"Jack!" Toothiana's hand on his shoulder was a hundred miles away.

The sleigh banked hard to the right, the turn so sharp it almost turned them back the way they had come.

As the space between them and the creatures grew, Jack felt the presence in his mind ease. Whatever it was, it grew weaker.

Jack was on his knees on the bottom of the sleigh, gripping his head.

"Jack?" Toothiana asked, her voice so beautiful. It chased away the last dredges of the shadows in his mind. "Are you all right?"

Sandy rested a hand on his other arm, concern on his face. Even Bunnymund was leaning toward him. North still held the reigns, but he looked over his shoulder.

"I- I don't know," he managed around his lungs as they fought to drag in oxygen. "I just... what _are_ those?"

Before any of them could answer, though their expressions told them they didn't know better than he did, they all heard the beat of wings. It was closer than Jack had ever heard. And they felt the rush of air was a dragon swept over them.

They all looked up as a sleek black dragon swooped over and around them. Its wing span was easily twice the lengths of the sleigh, if not more. From nose to tail, it was nearly as long as its wingspan. But that was all Jack had a chance to make out before it vanished over the side.

Then it was back in front of them.

The dragon was fighting, just as the reindeer were, only with more desperation. Its head jerked to the side. But it was surrounded by the creatures, which seemed to herd it in the right direction.

It was decidedly reptilian, but it reminded him of a black panther. There was something cat-like about it. Maybe it's large green eyes.

"Night Fury," North whispered.

Jack's breath caught. He wasn't sure if it was because of the name. Or if it was the sensation, like black water trickling down his neck, had returned.

The other creatures were now close enough he could see what they were, not that it gave many answers. Horses made of black sand, small horns coming from the sides of their mouths.

"I didn't think I would get your attention so quickly." The voice was smooth, elegant and charming... terrifying. "Not all of you at once."

All eyes followed to the voice.

On the Night Fury's back sat a tall, slender man dressed in a black robe. His skin was grey, like sand at night, with a long, pointed chin and a strong brow. His black hair was swept up and back.

"Pitch?" Bunnymund's tone was stunned.

North, Bunnymund and Sandy glared at the man. Toothiana and Jack looked at him with wide eyes.

"Pitch Black?" Toothiana asked, her eyes darted from Pitch to the Guardians.

"The Boogeyman?" Jack asked. That explained the terror that was creeping through his pores, into his mind.

His question drew Pitch's yellow eyes to him. "Who's this? A new recruit?"

The terror had been brushing up against him, like fish bumping into his legs in the streams, simply because he was there.

Now Terror realized he was there, and it turned all its attention on him. It forced its way into his mind, riffled through his mind.

"Oh." Pitch laughed again. No longer sinister – surprised. "I know him!"

The horses whinnied in what sounded like an echo of their master's laughter.

Pitch looked at North.

"Jack Frost?" He asked. "The Man in the Moon must be more desperate than I thought, if he's choosing _Jack Frost_."

He turned to Jack, malicious smile pulling at chapped black lips. "Tell me Jack, have you heard from your father recently?"

Jack reacted. The sensible side of his mind knew there was nothing he could do. Not when there was only air between the sleigh and the Night Fury. But he lunged forward to attack anyway.

Toothiana grabbed the sleeve of his jacket to try and hold him back. It didn't do much. What did stop him was North holding up an arm to block his way.

"Easy, Mate," Bunnymund said.

Pitch laughed. "And how's that friend of yours? The pathetic one, still delusional enough to think he'll prove himself a Viking.

"I know you two well. You've provided me a great deal of amusement these last few years."

Jack took a step back. Stunned by the words, and trying to escape the shadows in his mind. But the sleigh didn't provide enough space for that.

"What are you doing here?" Bunnymund asked. "Shouldn't you be under a bed somewhere?"

Pitch finally stopped laughing, and his sharp toothed smirk faded. "Did you think you could hold me there forever? If you did, you shouldn't have bound me here, of all places. Berk is saturated with fear. Or didn't you notice?" Pitch asked. "These Vikings live from one fear to the next. Fear they won't have enough food to last through the winter. Fear of the next dragon attack. Fear they won't be good enough. The non-Vikings live in fear. Even the dragons..."

Pitch laughed again, and patted the Night Fury's head. The movement caused the dragon to jerk his head away, eyes wide in panic. Pitch's upper lip curled, and he shortened the already nonexistent slack on the reins.

"Even the dragons are afraid," Pitch said. "I had only to wait, to bide my time. Jack and his friend, with their fears of inadequacy.

"I suppose I should thank you, Jack," Pitch said, yellow eyes turning back on the young man. "You and your friend, with your fears of inadequacy... you made my escape possible."

Jack felt the tension between his shoulders, and fought the urge to jump forward.

The black sand horses reared in midair, neighing as though something had disturbed them.

The reindeer bucked as well. North's grip on the reins tightened to keep them in line.

"Whoa," Pitch called to the horses. "Easy, easy. Best to stay calm. They smell fear, you know. It took me a while to perfect the trick, turning dreams into nightmares. But definitely worth it, don't you—"

Later, Jack wouldn't be sure exactly what happened. He knew only that something did happen.

In a moment, the Night Fury whipped its head back then forward. Pitch had been holding the reins so tight that the movement sent him flying forward. The moment it was free of Pitch, the Night Fury swept its tail through the nightmares that were trying to box it in.

Pitch was caught by one of the nightmares, and he positioned himself on its back. Reins of black sand formed, and he twisted the mare's head toward the Night Fury.

But with another sweep of its tail, the Night Fury turned and flew off in another direction.

"No!"

Pitch drove his heels into the nightmare's sides, and the creature reared on its back legs before it began to gallop forward. But the dragon was already too far ahead.

Bunnymund pulled an arm back and threw one of his boomerangs. It flew in a wide circle, end over end, cutting through some of the nightmares like butter. Black sand fell like rain.

Pitch went down as well, into the thick forest beyond the farms. North took the sleigh down as well.

But as soon as they landed among the trees and looked at the thick shadows...

"He's gone," Toothiana murmured.

#

"Are you all right?" Toothiana asked, when she had pulled her car into the driveway of Jack's house.

The house was untouched, of course. The dragons usually left the non-Vikings alone. The front light was on, as was the light in the kitchen. Through the window he could see his mother washing dishes, probably waiting up for him.

Jack stared through the windshield, at the house he had lived in all his life.

"You remember a few years ago, that house the Terminator dragon scratched up?" he asked after a long stretch of silence.

He had seen the house on his way to and from the junior high school every day for weeks.

The Terminator dragon's defining feature was its long, sword-like claws. In some cases they could grow more than two feet. Its had gouged deep into the thick logs that made up the cabin.

Toothiana nodded. "Yeah?"

"That's how my brain feels," he admitted. He recalled the feeling of the Nightmares riffling through his mind, searching for... For what, he wondered.

He wondered only for a moment, before he thought of everything Pitch had said.

They had been searching for his fears, and had found them.

"You don't want me as a Guardian," he said, after a few more moments. "I'm useless against Pitch."

He went to open the car door, but stopped when she rested one of her small hands on his arm.

"That's not true, Jack," she said. "If the Man in the Moon chose you, there has to be a reason. You're special, Jack."

"Yeah." He sighed. His doubt was audible. "Tell North thanks for the offer, but..."

"Think about it," Toothiana said. "I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"'Kay." He opened the door and started to get out.

A flash of color zipped around him, the whisper of small wings brushing across his cheek.

"Baby Tooth," he said, turning his head to look at his right shoulder, where the small tooth fairy was settling into his hood.

"Uh... I don't think that's gonna work."

Toothiana giggled, and reached to take Baby Tooth out of Jack's hood. "Come on, Baby Tooth. This is Jack's home, not ours."

She pinched Baby Tooth's wings between her thumb and forefinger, lifting her from Jack's shoulder. But the moment she left her go, the fairy returned to Jack's shoulder.

Jack looked back at Toothiana. "Bit of a stubborn streak, huh, Tooth?"

Their noses brushed when he turned to look at her. Close enough it would take only a small moment to lean in and kiss her. Something he had been thinking about doing for years.

His eyes flicked down to her lips, then back to her eyes.

In her violet eyes, he saw a flash of apprehension. But she didn't pull back.

Jack considered for another moment. But before he could make up his mind (just as he was getting to the point where he was about to do it) Baby Tooth left her seat on his shoulder to fly between them, dancing between them in the air, chattering something.

"Uh, yeah. I'll see you on Monday."

"Monday," she repeated. "Right."

Jack got out of the car. Just before he closed the door, Baby Tooth darted out of the car as well. She returned to his shoulder.

Jack stared at her from a moment. He looked back through the window, to Toothiana. He could see her laughing slightly, and she just shrugged.

Instead of trying to take her fairy back, Toothiana just pulled out of the drive way and drove away with a final wave.

He stared after her for a moment, then looked at Baby Tooth.

"All right," he sighed, fighting back his own laugh at the situation. With a finger he opened the pouch pocket of his sweatshirt. "Get in. I don't think I can explain you to my mom."

Baby Tooth's smile lit up her tiny features before she darted into his pocket, and made herself at home among the folds of the thick fabric.

"I'm home," he called, as he pushed open the front door;

Helen Frost came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her dark brown hair, the same color as Emma's, was a short bob, bangs framing her round face. Even in the dim light, he could see exhaustion on his mother's face. Exhaustion, and concern.

"Welcome home," she said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he assured, giving her a brief hug. "I was with Tooth."

He thought about saying he had been nowhere near the attack, but he knew it wouldn't be true. Lying to his mother, even a white lie to comfort her, went against his principles.

"I'm glad," she said, squeezing his shoulders before she pulled back.

Jack followed her back into the kitchen, where she was drying the last few dinner dishes.

"You ate?"

"Yeah." Jack still grabbed an orange from the counter. "Are you guys all right?"

His mother nodded. "We're fine. A little shaken, but fine. Emma's finally asleep, so try to be quiet going upstairs."

"I will," he assured.

On his way to his room, he stopped by Emma's partially open door to check on her. She was curled under the quilt their grandmother had made when she was born, her brown hair splayed across the pillow.

Jack smiled as he looked at her.

She was safe.

He heaved a sigh of relief.

He remembered Pitch's sharp toothed grin, and the terror as he passed too close to the nightmares. The insanity that had crouched on the edge of his mind as Pitch had mocked his greatest fears. Referencing them so casually – taunting him.

His fist clenched at the memory, the tendons in his hand pulled so tight they hurt.

It had always been his responsibility to watch after Emma. He was her older brother – and he would do whatever was needed to keep her safe.

But he wasn't sure he could fight Pitch. If he was a Guardian, maybe. But as he had said (though none of the Guardians seemed to have heard), he had no powers.

Baby Tooth came out of his pocket, and flew up to sit on his shoulder.

Jack grinned at the tooth fairy on his shoulder.

A small moan called his attention back to his sister. Emma had curled up tighter, her small face contoured in worry or fear.

Before tonight, he would have woken her up to end the bad dream.

Now, however, his eyes darted around the room for any sign of black sand.

Tendrils of black sand – unnoticeable if he hadn't known what he was looking for – slid across the blankets, toward Emma. Her small hand clenched tighter around the edge of the blankets as it got closer.

Baby Tooth chirped anxiously. When he looked at her, she was pointing to the bottom of the bed.

Jack crouched down to look under the bed. The nightmare was smaller than the ones he had seen earlier. But the black water was starting to trickle down the back of his neck again.

When it saw him, it neighed and turned away.

But before it could escape, Jack swept his leg under the bed. The nightmare dissolved around his foot on collision, as he had hoped. The sand turned back, away from the bed, and fled out the window.

Jack exhaled in relief as he stood up. Emma's face was once more smooth, a small smile tugging at her lips, her sleep once more sweet.

He looked at Baby Tooth, who turned back to him.

"It's starting, isn't it?" he asked in a whisper.

The tooth fairy nodded.

"Great," he sighed. "Just great."

With a sigh, Jack went across the hall, to his own room.

"You can eat oranges, right?" he asked, looking at Baby Tooth. Should he text Toothiana before feeding the fairy anything? The last thing he wanted was to make her sick.

Baby Tooth nodded enthusiastically in response, large violet eyes fixed on the fruit in his eyes.

Jack laughed quietly at her child-like enthusiasm at the simple prospect of the fruit. He tore a segment in half for her.

"I'm guessing you like them."

Another nod, and she all but grabbed the chunk of fruit from his hand. She took a seat on the edge of his nightstand, pulling off pieces of the fruit and eating them with visible pleasure.

Jack finished the rest of the orange as he sat on the edge of the bed.

When Baby Tooth was done, she curled up on his pillow with visible contentment.

In all honesty, Jack was glad she was with him. He wasn't sure he could be alone tonight. Not after everything swirling through his mind, the bad memories that had been stirred up.

He dreamed about his father for the first time in years.

**This was a hard chapter. The sequence with Emma's nightmare was added during the editing. After that, the sequence with Baby Tooth and the orange feels really light hearted, but I just love that part. I'm sorry if this chapter feels weak, I've realized that this story is a lot bigger than I expected. Its pushing my abilities to the limit. Which is great, because it means I'm learning, but is still frustrating.**

**Now this chapter is done, I'm going to go reward myself with ice cream.**

**Reviews would be much appreciated, you guys! I love hearing what you think of the story, and what questions the chapter raised (or answered) in your minds. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry this chapter took so long! I kept writing, and rewriting it. But it didn't work out until I reread book nine of HTTYD, because the Tongue Twister attack really did make the opening in my mind... I'm quite happy with that. **

**Without further ado...**

_Dragon Guardian_

Chapter 5

No one believed him.

Hiccup wasn't surprised. Not really. They never believe he could do anything right. Why should now be any different?

After he'd hit the Night Fury, everything had gone downhill. His cheers of excitement had caught the attention of a Tongue Twister Dragon. Hiccup had tried to run, but he had tripped over his own feet. And even as he had tried to scramble away, he had realized the dragon was playing with him.

Its hot, putrid breath had wafted over him, nearly causing a wave of nausea – which hadn't made running any easier.

Just as he had jumped off a boulder, its tongue had lashed out and wrapped around his arm. It had lifted its head so he dangled in the air, held up by the tongue. Black saliva had dripped down his arm and shoulder, causing him to shudder in disgust.

It would be weeks before the smell wore off enough for him to wear his shirt again.

True to its name, the dragon had used its tongue to start twisting his arm. The pain had intensified with the strain of muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones being forced to move in a way they had not been designed to move.

Hiccup had bitten back a scream of pain. The fact he was dangling from said arm certainly hadn't eased the pain.

To make it all the worse, he knew what the dragon was doing. It wasn't just playing. The dragon would twist his arm off... and then would start on another limb.

Typical. Hiccup had one good moment, so close to being elevated from the hell of being Hiccup the Useless... and he would pay for it with his life.

"This is so not fair," he groaned through the pain.

Just as the pulling became too much, his shoulder in danger of being pulled from its socket, his father had come to his rescue with a well thrown battle axe.

But to do so, Stoick had had to leave the defense of the livestock. Their supplies for winter were now dented – if not closer to diminished.

If anyone heard him say he had had the Night Fury, it hadn't been acknowledged.

But if Hiccup was anything, he was resilient. Which was why the early morning found him in the mist filled woods (after he had changed out of the saliva stained clothes), a one man search party.

The ancient redwood trees watched his progress, whispering to each other on the soft breeze. A few woodland creatures chattered, as anxious as the Vikings to gather enough food for the winter.

The mist had lifted a little as the sun had come up. Still, it played with sounds, and blurred the edges of the scenery.

A bird swooped down from a branch nearby, and broke into a song so lough, so sudden, Hiccup let out a strangled cry and nearly fell backwards.

He looked up amidst the lace-like needs of the redwood, but the bird was tucked out of sight, still singing.

Remembering the stories Helen Frost had read to them (stories she and Jack still read to Emma) in which animals talked to each other, he wondered if it was warning its neighbors of his presence in the forest. Or maybe just that winter was coming."

"This is ridiculous."

Hiccup came to a stop and looked around.

In seventeen years, he had explored and charted a large part of the forest. It was the kind of book-smart thing he was good at.

But he was now reaching the edge of familiar territory. A few more feet would take him beyond his map. It wasn't that any particular danger lurked there more than anywhere else. It was just unfamiliar.

Behind him he could still hear the bird singing.

He looked again at his surroundings.

If he could find the dragon, and bring its head back to Berk, it would change everything. But how far was he going to go?

The mist had finally faded, and the sun was close to its zenith in the sky. He had already been on his search nearly six hours. And he had passed the place where he calculation told him the dragon should have landed.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck.

With his luck, the dragon had broken free of the ropes and flown back to wherever the dragons nested.

He was tired from the few hours of nightmare riddles sleep that he had gotten the night before. He was hungry, and thirsty.

If he turned back now, life wouldn't be any worse than it had always been. Last night hadn't been worse than any other time he'd messed up.

_Except that this time I managed to lose an entire dragon,_ he though. He wasn't sure whether to feel bleak or furious with himself.

But if he went a little further, there was still a chance he could find the dragon.

And even if he found nothing, staying away from the village was better than getting into even more trouble.

He would go a little further, he decided. He had nothing to lose.

A squirrel chattered anxiously on a branch as he walked past. When he glanced at the branch where it sat, he saw that it was holding an acorn.

Hiccup's though turned to the depleted winter stores. His father had already been concerned there wouldn't be enough – now there definitely wouldn't be.

The fishing boats would have to go back out, even though winter had already begun to set in. It wasn't a safe job at any time, let alone when cold weather and furious storms were added to the mix.

He reached up to push a branch out of his way.

"I really am useless," he muttered, Snotlout's favorite taunt ringing in his ears.

As if for emphasis, the branch snapped back sooner than he'd expected. It smacked right into his face, the pain as sharp as a whip.

"Oww..."

Hiccup reached up to rub his nose as he turned to glare at the offending branch...

But his glare quickly faded.

The branch belonged to part a young redwood tree that had been torn away from the main body of the tree. It arced from the trunk, splintters jutted in every direction. The wood was still pale, its smell strong. Clumps of dislodged moss lay on the ground.

Beyond the tree, there was a deep furrow down the sloping ground, the earth scraped and ripped where something large had skidded across it.

The path was littered with rocks and pine cones, while splintered tree trunks were like guide posts – or warning signs. The air was filled with the smell of fresh dirt and tree sap.

Hiccup's feet started moving before his thoughts, half sliding down the incline. He reached out to touch a tree root as thick as his hand, in part to slow his momentum, in part to make sure he wasn't imagining it.

But it was very much there.

As he continued, he looked around, brows furrowed together as he took in the destruction, trying to figure out what could have caused it.

The path crested in a rise that Hiccup half climbed up.

The moment his eyes looked over the ridge, he ducked back down. His breath caught in his throat. His heart skipped a beat then pounded double-time against his ribs.

On the ground, bound in the ropes of the bola, lay the Night Fury. Velvety black scales glistened faintly in the sunlight.

He was more careful down the second incline, for fear the dragon would break free and attack him. One dragon attack in twenty-four hours was plenty.

Halfway, he ducked behind a rock, trying to get his respiration and his heartbeat under control. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his hunting knife – a gift from his father back on his twelfth birthday.

Edging around the boulder, he took a cautious step closer to the dragon, who hadn't moved.

Its legs, he saw now, were folded to its body, powerful wings twisted among the ropes. The dragon was completely bound.

"This changes everything!" Hiccup realized, taking a deep breath and praying that he wasn't dreaming.

The elation from the night before came rushing back as he took another caution step closer.

Gone now were all the echoes of Snotlout's torments, and memories of his father's disappointment.

Eyes closed, the Night Fury remained still. Hiccup couldn't immediately tell if it was dead or asleep.

In his mind, already he imagined the changes this would bring to his life. Finally, he would be the hero. No longer would the tribe be ashamed to admit he was the hope and heir of the Hairy Hooligans. Snotlout would have to shut up. His uncle, Spitelout, would finally have to stop hinting that Snotlout should be the heir. There would probably be a feast in his honor. So what if Jack thought it was old fashioned.

"I'm a Viking," he murmured, eyes wide at finally being able to say it and not have it taste like a lie.

Thinking of all the dramatic paintings of heroes, he tried to strike a dramatic pose, one foot perched on the creature's leg.

The dragon snorted, and rolled just enough to throw off Hiccup's foot.

His breath caught in his throat as he regained his balance.

He had thought – or rather, _hoped_ – that the creature was already did.

But now he looked, and the dragon's eye was open. Slit-pupil, and brilliant green, it looked up at him without interest.

Hiccup had never been so close to a dragon without having to start running. He had never looked a dragon in the eye. He didn't think any Viking had.

There was intelligence there. And though it appeared tired, there was the flicker of life.

Hiccup fingers flexed around the hilt of his knife.

"I'm a Viking," he repeated. Though even to his own ears, it lacked his earlier conviction.

The dragon blinked... but his eyes didn't waver. It knew, Hiccup realized, that it was going to die. It had accepted that, and now just waited.

Hiccup shook his head. No. It didn't matter.

Again, he adjusted his grip on his knife.

"I'm a Viking," again, but the words were still hallow.

"I'm going to cut out your heart and take it to my father." It came out as little more than a whisper. In part because he realized what a bloody job that would probably be...

His hands trembled, and not at the thought of blood. Though he almost wished it were.

"I'm a Viking!" He yelled it, glaring into the green eye that continued to watch him without blinking.

He tightened his grip, knuckles turning white with the tension.

He adjusted his position, so he could drive the knife into the creature's heart.

Under the ropes, the dragon had fought so hard there were now vicious green sores where the ropes had rubbed the skin raw.

He looked away from what had to be painful, and closed his eyes.

"I'm a man."

He lifted the knife to drive it into the dragon's heart.

He took a deep breath, braced himself.

He could do this. He had to!

He tried to picture all his wild imaginings. Snotlout forced to admit he was a hero. His father beaming with pride, telling to story again and again until even Hiccup grew tired of it (which would take a while). Astrid would – okay, _might_ - give him the time of day. The entire tribe would finally listen to him. There would be feast in his honor.

All of this, everything he had ever dreamed of.

So why did he have to stand here, fighting himself? Why wasn't it already done?

His eyes betrayed him, and opened enough for him to watch as the dragon closed its eyes, and rested its head on the mossy ground. Resigned to its death.

He lowered the knife with a frustrated sigh.

"I did this."

He turned away, starting back up the way he had come.

Now he could hear the dragon's breathing, laboring under the weight of the bola.

Hiccup turned back to it.

With one last look over his shoulder, just to be sure no one was watching, he adjusted his grip on this knife one more time and went to work on the ropes of the bola.

The dragon shifted as the steel blade began to saw through the ropes, and Hiccup glanced over just enough to see the dragon had lifted its head, green eyes watching his every move.

Fear caused him to hesitate for a moment, hyper aware this may be the last thing he ever did. But he kept cutting, careful of the raw wounds.

It only took a few cuts, and the dragon spread its wings, throwing off the remains of the ropes.

Hiccup started to step back.

The next moment he was on his back, pinned down by the powerful front legs of the Night Fury. It stared down at him with predator's eyes.

The paw on his chest bared down on his ribs, making breathing hard. The claws were over his neck, he could feel them digging into the skin above his collarbone. Not enough to break the skin, but there was no doubt that the roles had no reversed, and Hiccup now faced death.

Not with resignation like the dragon, but with labored breathing, and wide, panicked eyes. He could feel his bangs move over his forehead, ruffled by the dragon's breath.

The Night Fury's teeth were bared, a growl vibrating from deep within its throat.

Its head pulled back, and Hiccup recognized the tell-tale sign that preluded fire. He tried to brace himself, but he was trembling too much.

But instead of fire, the dragon roared. A sound that caused Hiccup's bones to tremble, and the nearby trees to shudder.

Just as Hiccup thought the dragon was about to tear him to shreds...

...the weight on his chest vanished.

**Okay. I was going to keep going, with the dragon flying away, hitting the rocks, yada yada. But that felt like a good place to stop. And since all off you have probably seen the movie, I don't think I need to hint at Toothless' injury. But we'll get to that later.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has been so patient waiting for this update. I'm sorry it took me so long, but a lot of things have been going on in my life. Still, I'm happy to announce that I have had some GREAT ideas for this story. And I wish I could tell you (because I'm practically bursting with excitement as some of them), but when you read them I want you to be as surprised as I was when I thought of them.**

**So. Reviews are very much appreciated, and I love to hear what you have to think of this chapter, and the story so far! **


	7. Chapter 6

**When I had this written out by hand, it seemed a lot longer...**

**I ended up going to the first **_**HTTYD**_** book for some of Gobber's insults. I wouldn't pass his Advanced Rudery class if my life depended on it... the "Death or Glory" thing is from the book too.**

Dragon Guardian

Chapter 6

The rain – one of Berk's trademarks – started Saturday night (before Jack was ready to leave the mountain) and was still going strong Monday morning when he reached Berk High School. The rain forced him to leave his motorcycle in the garage and accept a ride from his mom.

Baby Tooth, after another piece of fruit for breakfast – a pear this time – seemed perfectly content in the pocket of his hoodie. For now at least.

Rain was not something Jack liked. Snow, yes. And sun was his second choice.

The halls were even louder than usual, with teenagers forced to mill inside in the cramped hallways.

Friday night's dragon attack was still the favored topic of conversation. Whose houses were destroyed, who got burned, who was staying where during repairs. And a few complaints that the dragons hadn't burned the school.

He passed Tuffnut bragging to a group of girls about how he was already the top student in dragon training. (Not likely, even if they had started. And Jack knew for a fact that their training didn't start for another two days.) The Viking was trying to subtly show off his new tattoo.

Jack rolled his eyes and continued his search for Toothiana. Fond as he had become of the tooth fairy in his pocket, he wasn't sure she could stay there all day. She had too much energy to be confined to the pocket of a hoodie.

He pushed through the noise and crowds, eyes searching for Toothiana's tell-tale jewel tones. In the drab halls, she usually wasn't hard to spot.

He turned down the hall where he locket was. He could almost feel the second ticking by, the bell looking closer.

At the end of the hall, just closing her locker, he saw Toothiana. It was the first good thing that had happened in the hours he'd been awake so far.

He was about to call out to her when he was jostled by someone walking into his side. Judging from the way Baby Tooth shifted in his pocket, she had felt the collision.

Jack glanced over to apologize, and found himself under the icy glare of a blond Viking. Behind Astrid was Camicazi, who was giggling behind her hand, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Watch where you're going!" Astrid snapped, adjusting the straps of her backpack. "Honestly, you're as clumsy as Hiccup."

Jack resented that a little more than he probably should have, considering she was talking about his best friend. The apology on his lips turned rancid as he swallowed it back.

What Hiccup saw in her was something he would never understand. He knew his friend wasn't shallow enough to like her on her looks alone, but he had yet to see anything else worth liking.

"Sorry," he finally managed, though it came out darker than intended.

Astrid shoved his shoulder and walked away, ice blue eyes rolling. Camicazi bounded behind her, still giggling. She spun on her heel to look back at Jack as they vanished into the sea of students.

"Vikings," Jack muttered under his breath.

He turned back in the direction of Toothiana's locker... and didn't see any sign of her. The hall had mostly cleared, now that the bell for first period was imminent.

Personally he could live with a tardy – class didn't actually start for several minutes after the late bell anyway. But his mom didn't need the stress of yet another call from the school. He had promised her to try and keep his record clean this year.

Just as he tried to decide if he had time to continue look for her, the bell rang.

"Guess it's you and me, Baby Tooth," he muttered, turning back in the direction of his first class, running along everyone else that wanted to make it before the late bell.

#

In the pocket of his hoodie, Baby Tooth was shifting more than she had all day by the time he made his way to the gym for PE. She was probably getting cabin fever from being stuck in there so long – and the day wasn't even half hour. He was starting to wish he had left her at home. He didn't even _want_ to return to her Toothiana, really.

Gobber gestured them into the gym, calling that there was no need for any of them to change. Several people groaned under their breaths, realizing that meant they were about to be subjected to a lecture of some sort. And with Gobber, lectures turned into a chance for him to retell the same stories they had already heard in the name of teaching them... something.

The gym was already half full of teenager with too much energy.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were wrestling on the floor by the door – Ruffnut clearly winning. The other Vikings watched on, cheering and goading the twins. Snotlout was the loudest, calling for blood. Whose, jack wasn't sure. He spotted Astrid on the edge of the group, watching with crossed arms, not saying anything.

Camicazi came through the door behind Jack, and bounded over to her friend, her voice soon rivaling Snotlout's - though her support for Ruffnut was obvious. It was no secret she was of the opinion that girls were better at everything.

Jack shook his head and glanced around.

Hiccup sat on the floor near the back of the gym. Even from across the large room Jack could tell his friend's eyes were dark with thought. He was watching the wrestling match, but he was clearly somewhere else. And wherever that place was, it clearly wasn't pleasant.

Jack recalled Pitch's word – his sneer at Hiccup's fear. About Jack's own fear.

A shudder passed down his spine. It hadn't been an easy weekend.

"Hey," he greeted, as he reached Hiccup.

The young Viking looked up, eyes out of focus for a moment. He blinked and nodded. He returned the greeting before looking back to where Ruffnut had gained dominance over her brother. Judging from the shadows under his eyes, the nightmares hadn't left him alone.

Jack took a seat beside Hiccup, careful not to jostle Baby Tooth too much. The poor fairy probably hadn't had the best day so far. He wanted to let her out to breathe (he knew how much he would hate being stuck in a pocket for more than two hours). But it wasn't the kind of thing Hiccup would miss, and Jack had no idea how to explain her.

As an appeasement, he unzipped his backpack and pulled out an orange he had packed for just this reason.

His short nails broke through the touch outer skin of the fruit, the muscles in his fingers easily tearing it away. The air filled with the sweet smell of orange oil as it sprayed from the pores of the peel.

Baby Tooth shifted in a way that told him she had caught the smell.

Snotlout was now wrestling Thuggory... and losing.

"I'm not a Viking."

Jack paused in his task, looking over at Hiccup. With thought of Pitch fresh in his mind, that didn't sound good.

"Why?" He glanced at the wrestling teens, hands once more tearing at the peel of the orange. "Because you're not up there getting a concussion?"

Hiccup's expression had darkened.

"It's not that."

Jack pulled the orange in half, now it was peel was gone. He held one half out to Hiccup.

"Thanks."

With Hiccup's eyes back on the fight, it wasn't hard for Jack to tear off a chunk and pass it into his pocket. Baby Tooth's small hands took it from him eagerly. Though he couldn't see her, he grinned at the cute little fairy.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Hiccup opened his mouth, then closed it, as if unsure whether or not to answer the question.

Jack waited, eating an orange segment. He had never realized how much he liked the fruit.

Finally, Hiccup looked over. "You know—"

"All right, you mollusks!"

Thuggory had gotten Snotlout into a headlock – Hiccup's cousin next to tears, complain that Thuggory had cheated – just as Gobber called everyone's attention.

Jack shook his head, laughing a little. "Why mollusks?"

"It's better than maggots, I guess," Hiccup shrugged.

"All right, all right," Gobber repeated. "After Friday's attack, Stoick has asked that I give all o' ya a lesson in dragon safety. Because of few of you clearly haven't been payin' attention!"

"W-wait," Snotlout said, still rubbing his neck. "Shouldn't we be excused?" He gestured to his fellow dragon trainees. "I mean, we're learning to _kill_ dragons, not run away from them."

"Sit down, Snotlout." There was an unspoken 'shut up' in Gobber's tone. "Ya'll need it as much as the others."

Jack rolled his eyes. Snotlout's pride was going to get him smacked down – probably sooner than later.

Most high school students endured sex-ed classes. Only on Berk did they had dragon safety classes. But it was preferable, really. Gobber's sex-ed lecture wasn't something Jack wanted to sit through again.

When everyone had sat down, Gobber stood in front of them with his trademark deadly glare. It took another orange segment and a half for the teenagers to become quiet, and Jack was taking his time. Even once the whispers stopped, the fidgeting didn't. All the teenagers were hyper after two classes. By this time in third period, they were usually playing dodge ball – not sitting on the floor. And the Vikings the just weren't good at sitting still.

Even Hiccup, normally the exception to that rule, couldn't stop moving. His fingers worried the frayed hem of his skinny jeans. His foot beat a steady, silent tattoo against the air. Jack looked over, curious about the nervous twitch. Hiccup's eyes darted around the room, lips pursed.

Jack quirked an eyebrow. He had never seen his friend so agitated. His curiosity gnawed at him, darting around his mind with the rapidity of a tooth fairy. But Gobber's glare was enough to keep him from asking.

The agitation penetrated into the pocket of his hoodie. He could feel Baby Tooth trying to get comfortable. Her tiny hands pressed against his stomach, and he choked on the laugh he had to bite back as she hit the ticklish spot just above his right hip bone.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hiccup glance over at him.

"Wrong pipe," he murmured, pretending to cough.

The gym finally stilled, even if only somewhat. With one more death glare over the assembled teenagers, Gobber started his lecture.

After a few minutes, when he knew the old Viking was caught up in his own story about fighting a bone knapper dragon, Jack leaned over to Hiccup.

"Didn't we take this class last year?" he asked. "And the year before?"

"And the year before that," Hiccup muttered, but his tone lacked the humor Jack had been looking for.

Hiccup continued to stare sullenly at the front of the gym.

Jack sighed. His crush had turned out to be the queen of the tooth fairies, he had been invited to be a guardian but had no powers, was the personal toy of the boogey man, his friend was more sullen than usual, and now he had to tolerate yet another lecture on dragon safety (as if he hadn't already survived nearly eighteen years in Berk).

What a year this was turning out to be...

Baby Tooth started crawling around again, her hand hitting that one spot above his hip again.

He buried his face in his hands, almost strangling on his laughter in response. The irony was that he didn't _feel_ like laughing at the moment.

As soon as class ended he would have to find Toothiana and return her fairy.

Then he thought about the fact he had a fairy in the pocket of his hoodie... and that was enough to break the mood he had fallen into ever since his encounter with Pitch. He couldn't have held back his grin if he wanted to.

"What's with you?" Hiccup whispered.

Jack shook his head as he reached into his pocket.

Baby Tooth crawled in his palm and curled up. He felt her gossamer wings flutter against his palm and absently though of butterfly kisses.

It wasn't necessarily the most comfortable position for his hand, but Baby Tooth settled down now she had something solid to sit on.

He listened absently as Gobber repeated, yet again, the story of his he had lost his arm and his leg.

As if for emphasis, every other step he took on the wooden floor echoed through the room as he paced in front of his audience.

He had just described the loss of his leg, in vicious detail that most gathered could have lived without, when there was a frustrated battle cry from among the dragon trainees.

Everyone looked over as Snotlout rose to his feet. Gobber with clearly annoyed at being interrupted when he had been on a roll. And while it was the third time Jack had heard the story, he had to admit it had been the best.

"I'm so angry right now, I could kill the entire dragon nest!" Snotlout cried, punching the air. From the back of the room Jack could see his battle fury...

...but he also knew Snotlout would be the first to run if a dragon burst into the gym at that moment.

"That's nice, Snotlout," Gobber said, in a patronizing tone. "Now, if you'll let me finished-"

Snotlout didn't let him.

"I'll cut off the arms and legs of every dragon I fight – I will avenge your beautiful hand, and your beautiful foot!"

Jack didn't think _beautiful_ was the right word to describe any part of the burly Viking – but he was enjoying the show none-the-less. Snotlout was a jerk, to be sure. But first and foremost he was a one man comedy show. Jack wished he could charge admission fees – he would make a fortune.

"Death or Glory!" Snotlout pumped his fist again, looking at the other trainees around him.

A few seemed ready to follow him into some glorious battle... while the others rolled their eyes.

The gym thundered with cries of "Death or Glory" from teenage boys with too many hormones and not enough common sense.

A few people covered their ears at the level of noise. Baby Tooth squeaked in protest. He managed to block her just as she tried to get out of his pocket and see what on earth the chaos was about.

"Death or Glory," Hiccup muttered, shaking his head.

Thuggory and Dogsbreath were wrestling on the floor, and looked ready to tear each other to pieces.

When Jack looked at Gobber, curious to see his reaction, the older Viking was rolling his eyes.

"SHUDDUP YA MISERABLE TADPOLES!"

"Tadpoles?" Jack mouthed to Hiccup.

He had hoped to get a grin in return, but the young Viking just shrugged.

Why did no one else realize how utterly ridiculous the whole situation was?

But Gobber's call broke through the thick skulls of the battle obsessed boys.

Though they fell silent, the looked up at Gobber like puppies who didn't understand why bringing a dead animal into their master's house got them yelled at.

As he stared at them, now as surprised as he was amused, he realized it had all been a show. The boys were trying to impress their trainer (and any girls that happened to be watching), to prove that they were Viking warriors.

They had succeeded in making themselves ridiculous, that was for sure.

"I really wish I had a camera," Jack muttered. He bit his knuckle as he watched the Vikings slowly sit down. They still looked confused.

Gobber glared until the room fell silent again.

"Now, if ya all are done actin' like idiots, I'll tell ya the most important part o' dealin' with dragons!"

His voice was still raised, his face red with anger.

Jack couldn't help it – he leaned forward, curious what Gobber would say. In his mind he pictured the dragons lounging around North's workshop. If he went back, some knowledge about the creatures might be helpful.

Beside him, Hiccup leaned forward as well.

"Forget about the legs," Gobber said. "It's the wings and the tails ya have t' worry 'bout. A dragon that can't fly, can't get away – and it can't hunt. A downed dragon is a dead dragon.

"But, wings or not, always remember. If you give a dragon an opening, it will always, _always_, go for the kill.

That didn't help, Jack decided as he leaned back.

But Hiccup didn't seem to agree.

"Gobber?"

The Viking sighed. "What is it, Hiccup?"

If Jack hadn't already guessed something had happened over the weekend, the fresh annoyance in Gobber's tone confirmed it. He was always annoyed with Hiccup, but more so after a fresh grievance.

"Are there any exceptions to that rule?" Hiccup asked. "The 'always going for the kill' thing, ya know?"

Jack's eyes narrowed, and his weren't the only eyes on his friend. He knew is friend. This wasn't random curiosity – Hiccup was leading somewhere. Jack just wished he knew where.

"No, Hiccup," Gobber sighed. "A dragon will always kill it unless you kill it first."

The man cringed as he registered his own words. "Not _you_, Hiccup. Just stay in the smithy, and you'll be fine."

Hiccup didn't seem to hear the last part, or the laughter that followed it. Behind his eyes, something was churning with furious speed.

Jack curiosity wasn't to know what on Earth was going on...

But Gobber had started on another story, and this wasn't the place for a conversation.

And judging from the way Hiccup's eyes darted this way and that in thought, he wouldn't have been able to hold a conversation anyway.

Jack sat back with a shake of his head.

And it was only the second week of school.

#

Gobber was halfway through yet another story, Jack trying to remember if he had learned anything in the past hour, when the bell rang. The burly Viking seemed ready to keep going, but the students surged around him, backpacks in hand as they raced for the door. Even the dragon trainees had forgotten about trying to get on their trainer's good side – they were the first ones to the door.

The gym was right next to the cafeteria. As soon as Jack stepped through the door, his eyes darted around in search of the jewel tones that advertised Toothiana's presence.

The hall was crowded with rambunctious teenagers in search of food, but none of them were especially colorful, so the tooth fairy queen stood out wherever she went.

"Jack, I've gotta-"

Hiccup decided to start talking just as Jack saw Toothiana's colorful hair.

"Can you hang on?" Jack asked, not looking away from the girl. "I gotta talk to Tooth."

"Sure," Hiccup shrugged.

Without his usual regard for courtesy, Jack started running toward Toothiana with all the speed allowed for in the crowded hallway. He pushed past more than a few people. It earned him a number of irate calls, and several death threats from the Vikings, but he ignored them.

"Tooth!" he called, as he neared her. She was just coming in through the opposite side of the cafeteria.

Someone stepped between them, but Jack didn't have the ability to come to a stop.

Instead, he reached up and braced his hands on the shoulders of the Viking in front of him, vaulting easily over the bulky teen. He expected another death threat... but the boy was too busy trying to figure out what had happened.

Toothiana blinked as he landed a few inches in front of her. She took a slight step back to give them both breathing room. But she back right into another girl who was just walking behind her. She stumbled.

Jack reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back, not letting go until he was sure she was balanced.

"You okay?" he asked.

Toothiana nodded, her cheeks turning pink. She smiled shyly as she smoothed her hair away from her face.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I'm fine. What about you? Is something wrong?"

He cocked his head to the side, trying to understand her question... then remembered his race across the cafeteria.

"Baby Tooth," he murmured, to avoid being heard.

She blinked again, but then her eyes widened.

"I've been trying to get her back to you all day," he said.

Now Toothiana nodded her understanding. "You could have left her home."

At the sound of her queen's voice, Baby Tooth began scurrying around his hoodie pocket, trying to get out.

Before she made in appearance in the Berk High cafeteria, Jack grabbed Toothiana's arm and ducked under the nearby stairwell. There was always the risk of walking into a couple in the middle of making out, but this time they were lucky.

"I wasn't sure what the deal was," he said, his volume rising above a whisper now that they weren't in the crowd of students. "If you needed her back, or something."

Baby Tooth burst from his hoodie, flying to Toothiana with humming bird speed. Her small arms tried to hug the teenager's neck, but didn't come close. Toothiana giggled at the fairy.

"How are you, Baby Tooth?"

"I've been feeding her bits of orange," Jack said. "I hope that's-"

"It's fine," she assured.

Before they could say anything else, Baby Tooth surprised them both by flying back to Jack's shoulder.

"Baby Tooth?" he asked. "What are you—"

Toothiana giggled again, watching as the fairy settled on his shoulder with an attitude that made it clear she had no intention of leaving.

"I think you have a side kick, Jack," she said.

Her smile left Jack star struck for a moment, before he remembered why he was trying to give her back.

"It's not that I don't like having her around," he said. He craned his neck to look at the fairy with a smile.

She returned the expression.

"But I can't keep her in my hoodie for four more periods. I tried to call you last night."

She nodded. "I was at the workshop. There's no service out there, and by the time I got home it was too late to call you back."

She turned to the small fairy. "Why don't you fly back to Jack's house? We'll both be there after school."

Baby Tooth looked at Jack, clearly expecting his promise as well before she would leave.

"As soon as school's over," he grinned. "Can you keep an eye on Emma when she gets home? Incase another nightmare shows up."

They ducked out of the stairwell, to a nearby door out of the school. The rain had stopped, but no one had realized it yet, so thankfully there was no one lingering on the steps.

The air was cool and still moist from the rain.

Now she had a mission, Baby Tooth rose up with enthusiasm. With one last brush against their cheeks, she took off.

"Why does it feel like I just became a parent?" Jack asked, watching the fairy fly out of sight. Small as she was, it didn't take long.

Toothiana laughed. When he looked over, he saw her blushing slightly.

They turned back into the school. After the cool air outside, Jack found the warmth inside almost suffocating. He had been fine all summer. But as soon as the weather had started to cool, any heat started to affect him more than usual.

"You saw a nightmare?" she asked, after a moment.

"I saw one, but there was more," he muttered. "Emma and I both had nightmares all weekend."

"Pitch was making a point," Toothiana sighed. "Since Friday, the only nightmares we've seen have been monstrous nightmares. I wish I knew what he was planning."

"Maybe losing the night fury messed with his plans," Jack suggested.

"Maybe," she agreed. "That's an encouraging thought."

Jack shrugged. "I try."

She looked at him with another smile. "I hope you decide to join us, Jack."

"Even if I _had_ powers, I'm not sure you guys would want me."

They reached the table where Hiccup sat, already eating his lunch while he waited for him. His eyes were once more intent on his own thoughts. Whatever was bothering him, Jack wasn't going to find out just yet.

Outside, the temperature had begun to drop steadily, a few degrees at a time. The rain clouds that had passed some time during Gobber's stories were replaced by heavier clouds that hung lower in the atmosphere.

By the time school let out, it had begun to snow.


End file.
